


Out of the Dark

by Nocturnal_Novelist



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Friendship/Love, Human/Pokemon Relationship(s), Interspecies, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Johto Region, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokephilia, Relationship(s), Romance, Talking Pokemon, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:55:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22597417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocturnal_Novelist/pseuds/Nocturnal_Novelist
Summary: In a world populated with millions of different humans and pokemon, it's easy to segregate one group from the other when the two don't see eye to eye. A book shouldn't be judged by its cover, and one shouldn't come to their own conclusions before reading that book for themselves. In a similar way, no man or pokemon should be judged before their story can be heard, but what happens when a human boy encounters this struggle for the first time?Travis is a human with a positive mindset and attitude, always willing to take on the problems of others, often at his own expense. He meets a poochyena and eevee who both have different views on the world around them, as well as different thoughts on who he is as a human being. The poochyena hates Travis's guts despite never meeting him in the past, and she decides to make his life a living hell after a string of events lead her into his home. This poochyena must have some hidden secrets...
Relationships: Graena | Mightyena/Original Character(s), Graena | Mightyena/Original Male Character(s), Human/Pokemon - Relationship, Pochiena | Poochyena/Original Human Character(s), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon/Original Character(s)
Comments: 66
Kudos: 83





	1. New Faces

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody, I’m Nocturnal Novelist. I'm not the best at formal speech, so I will attempt to make this quick... This is an old story that I revived all the way from 2015, and I made its remake in 2018 on FanFiction.net. So being fair, this story is a tad bit outdated, though it was well received by most of the people who bothered to review it. I am not satisfied with the way it was, so I am rewriting it and posting it here with as much effort as I can bring. I'm not too experienced at writing nonetheless, and I always appreciate feedback. I would love to hear from you guys, and learn your views whether if you like or hate my stories.
> 
> As I'm new to AO3, I am not familiar with the tagging system or really...anything that goes on around here. So please be patient with me when it comes to that. This a human x pokemon story, but I will warn now that the pairing isn't the story's focus from the beginning. Lemons won't be until the late chapters, apologies if that disappoints anyone. Pokemon in this story do not have speech barriers by the way, and they can alternate between speaking English and their native tongue whenever they desire, though I don't think I will be utilizing the latter. If anything changes or I'm able to explain this any better, I will update this note in the future. 
> 
> Special thanks to a guy I know by the name Fury. Dude's a genius and helps me edit all of my work, no matter what I write! I hope you guys enjoy!

"In other news, I am happy to announce that the mystery of the disappearances of pokemon around Goldenrod City has finally been solved. The story behind that however, is a rather...distasteful one," a man spoke through the BuzzNav.

The person who watched the news bulletin cracked open a soda, taking a sip as his eyes remained glued to the screen of his pocket device.

"It turns out that there was a brothel running on the outskirts of the city near the region's daycare center." The man tugged the collar of his shirt, his breaths becoming harsh as he slouched in his seat. "...Thanks to tips from local humans and pokemon alike, Goldenrod authorities were able to locate these thugs and bring them to justice. As you would expect, pokemon were found inside. Whether they were strapped, chained or muzzled, they came in by the dozens and were all beaten to the ground. Eight men are now being held in Goldenrod's jail on no bond, under the charges of rape, pokemon abuse and three others. They'll be facing jail time between forty to eighty years, and," the man paused before slamming his fist into the desk. The poor desk had a _very_ visible crack, and the man's papers scattered across the room.

"Let me tell you why that's bullshit! Those bastards should be given the death sentence! They should have their throats ripped clean out!" The man slammed his foot onto the head of the desk, quickly being tackled to the ground by what was assumed to be the building's security forces. The event would've been comedic if it weren't the news.

It didn't take long for a young woman to take the man's place, a forced smile tugging at her cheeks. "Well… At least the pokemon finally got their rights to freedom again, like we all deserve. Some of the pokemon went to pokemon centers for treatment while others were able to return to their homes, whether they lived in the wild or in the city with their owners. We'll keep you updated on-"

The viewing lad closed his PokeNav, pocketing the device into his pocket. Slipping his empty can into the pocket of his backpack, he thought about everything that he heard.

The young man was Travis, a teenager who had no thrill out of what he just heard.

"Who could do something like that to a pokemon? To anybody really," he thought out loud, looking to the sky as he followed the trail back to where he called home.

Route 38 was one of the more tranquil and peaceful places in Johto, making it Travis's favorite place to go on a nature walk. Route 38 and 39 were a four to five hour walk, but that hasn't stopped him before. The miltank would always wave him a good afternoon whenever he stopped by, while also making sure that the tauros were well behaved. It was something that Travis found amusing.

Magnemite rode the winds from above while rattata lurked in the thick trees. The more rare pokemon like shinx and minun dashed through the tall grass in the distance.

Pokemon were known by many to be human's best friend, working together with them through battles or daily chores. The number one goal was to reach a mutual understanding between the two races, but pokemon are often used as stepping stones for humans instead. Travis found disgust in the thought of raping anyone just because of a person's lack of restraint.

The league had once fought against these types of relationships with pokemon a few years ago, but it became settled just recently that pokephila became a legal act in Johto. Humans have recognized pokemon as intelligent beings, capable of communication through several different languages just like humans. It was decided that as long as there was consent from both parties, it wasn't an issue. After that was said and done, interspecies relationships popped up left and right in Johto as people came out about what they were really interested in.

None of this has bothered Travis, who had a neutral opinion on the subject. He never thought about loving a pokemon in such a way before, and he didn't have a pokemon of his own to find out for himself. Even in that case, Travis knew it was better to never blindly pursue a relationship.

Travis attempted to push pass his thoughts as he continued to Olivine City, which was still a good while away. His curiosity about the pokemon left to roam the wild began to eat at him. With the surplus of pokemon migrating from Sinnoh, Hoenn and even Alola, it would be difficult for a lot of these saved pokemon to find the necessities needed for their survival.

Closing his eyes, the teenager slapped his palms against his cheeks before bringing a smile to his face. Travis liked to keep hope in these dark times, and that optimistic perspective allowed him to see the light through the darkness.

"Hey, there's the farm!" Travis exclaimed as the small structure that split Route 38 and 39 caught his attention. He was just a few hours from home, and dusk would soon overtake the skies. "Nothin' wrong with setting up camp later on."

* * *

"Ugh, again!? Those fucking brutes always take all the berries!" A swift stomp of a black paw followed those words, some blades of grass falling apart from the creature's small claws.

The poochyena's violet eyes ignited in her rage as she continued to complain as an eevee with a sparkling hazel-white coat rolled her own eyes. While time had been a very cruel mistress to them, the eevee took note of how much this poochyena pouted.

The farm on Route 39 had berries growing on the many trees that called it home. After an incident where one of their miltank became ill and a boy traveled just to bring her a few healing berries, the owners decided to start their own berry harvest. This went exceptionally well for them, and they soon had enough berries to feed their own pokemon as well as the pokemon in the wild. Some were very grateful for their kind efforts while others took advantage of this, stealing more berries than what they needed. These actions left an unlucky few with absolutely nothing.

"Of course when we think the worst of our problems are through, we're always faced with another. Why does it gotta be this way, Everest?" the poochyena asked with a sigh, turning toward the eevee she knew as Everest.

The eevee noticed the genuine sadness in the poochyena's eyes, causing her ears to crumple against the sides of her head. Everest desperately wanted to show her that there could have been a better life than this, if only the poochyena would listen to her.

"I wish I knew, Zia. Things might-"

"You always say that, but when will things _really_ start getting better?" Zia, the poochyena, told the bothered Everest.

_Someday her stubbornness may make her do something that she'll regret,_ the eevee mused.

The two of them had scouted Route 39 with hope that they could scavenge something until the berries grew back the next day.

"Hm?" Everest lifted her head and looked around, catching the poochyena's attention.

"What?" Zia asked.

"Don't you hear the footsteps?" The eevee paid heed to what her ears messaged, her partner eventually catching the sound as well.

"Yeah," the pooch answered before her nose started to twitch. "Whatever it is, it has berries with it. If it's those thieves, I'll-"

"Shh!" The eevee took cover into the nearby bushes, Zia following her lead with quick feet. "Let's at least see what it is first." Zia would have protested under normal circumstances, but she decided to put her faith into Everest this time.

Through the thick brush of the bushes, the canine and vulpine could see a single pair of feet trot past them, these feet being covered by what had to be sneakers. "Even worse. It's a human," growled Zia, her eevee comrade forcing her paw over her muzzle to get her to hush. Now wasn't the time for another of the poochyena's rants.

Zia yanked her face away from the eevee's tiny paw before continuing to stare daggers at the human boy, who whistled as he strolled down Route 39 on his own business. "He definitely _smells_ like he has berries, but I don't see anything on him," Zia groaned.

"That backpack he has, maybe there?" Everest asked. The scent wasn't nearly faint enough for Everest to assume that the boy had eaten them yet, so the berries had to be hiding somewhere.

"Right." Zia's nose twitched like mad. While Everest may have had the better hearing out of the two, Zia's sniffer was good enough to rival any growlithe. The poochyena had the ability to pick up any type of scent, and the smell of berries through this dude's backpack was driving her stomach to madness.

"He must be on a long trip," Everest concluded. "The pack is pretty big. I bet there's tons of stuff in there."

"Hell if I care. Let's take the bag," suggested Zia with a sinister grin, Everest whipping her head toward the pooch with a glare.

"We are not stealing berries from anybody if that's what you're implying, Zia. We know better, especially when it comes to taking food from the humans that help them grow." Everest poked her paw at the Zia's big nose, the pooch narrowing her eyes.

"What do you mean!? I can't believe you'd even consider being so polite to a human after what they've done!" Zia poked her much bigger paw at Everest's tiny nose, the eevee taking a deep breath.

"I know you're still mad about what they did, Zia, but we can't just steal things that don't belong to us. Let's not just compare a single human to millions of others, just have faith in me," Everest told her partner, the pooch rolling her eyes.

"Okay. What does _The Great Everest_ suggest we do then? Do we sit here and starve?" Zia teased, her agitation clear from her tone.

"Without sarcasm, I can tell you that we'll just go and ask nicely for some. We'll be cautious, scaredy pooch," said Everest with a grin before trotting after the human.

"Knock it off!" Zia snarled before following behind the eevee.

* * *

_**FWOOMP** _

Thanks to a few pieces of flint and some nearby twigs, Travis was able to start a campfire for the night. As the flame crackled merrily, the surrounding scenery was cascaded with a breathtaking orange glow. "Perfect," Travis told himself with a smile as the moon claimed the skies. It was the perfect night to sleep out and watch the stars.

Travis whipped out the sleeping bag for his backpack before laying it flat on the ground. It was a nearly perfect fit for the teenager's body, though there was some room to spare.

Though he was no traveller, Travis wasn't foreign to the activity of camping or being out in the wild for long periods of time. He had the ability to walk the entire five hours back home, but the opportunity to camp was one that he wouldn't dare to pass up.

"Finally time for lunch," the boy told himself before bringing out his bag full of berries, each of the fruit taking the size of his palm. He got them after visiting his grandparents in Ecruteak City, the old pair insisting that Travis should bring them on the trip back after learning he went over there on nothing more than a peanut butter sandwich.

Travis's eyes sparkled with delight as he randomly picked a pecha berry, soon taking a huge bite out of it. The teen feared squeaking as the sweetness of the berry assaulted his taste buds in the best way possible. While the lad was busy enjoying his berry, he was unaware that he had some guests close by…

"I _really_ don't like these ideas of yours, Everest," Zia whispered to the hazel eevee next to her. The poochyena and Everest had been taking shelter behind another bush as they watched the human devour his pecha berry.

"Too bad. We're not going to steal. Maybe if he's mean. _Maybe_ we'll take them in that case, although that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth." Zia rolled her eyes at the eevee's retort. Everest decided that it was time to make a move, knowing her cohort wouldn't make it easy to cooperate.

Travis was currently set on scarfing down another berry, but a brief rustle caught his attention instead. The boy's head whipped towards the intruding noise, where he could see the bushes shake as something pushed through. A hazel paw was the first thing that he noticed, the rest of the creature's body soon revealing itself to the light of the campfire.

_Is that a…? Holy moly,_ Travis thought to himself as he was met with quite a rare sight. A shiny eevee, its hazel fur appearing to give a dazzling gleam of its own. It was already nearly impossible to find an eevee in Johto, but to find a shiny in the wild was a one out of a thousand chance. Most trainers would jump such a rare find immediately, though Travis decided to keep an eye on it instead. _I wonder what it wants._

The eevee remained silent as it eyed Travis from a safe distance, a little unsettled from the human staring back. While most wild eevee were timid of humans, this one seemed more curious than anything. It was clear that she was still playing smart, but Travis tried to analyze it a little more in hopes of getting the vulpine to say something to him.

Averting his gaze from the eevee, the boy thought to himself before he felt his bag of berries slouch on his leg. Remembering that he had food on him, the boy snapped his fingers as he came to an answer. "Hey I got it. You're hungry, aren't you?" The eevee's ears perked from the assumption, watching closely as he pulled out a sitrus berry. Its tail swished from the sight, eyeing the treat with desire.

"You can catch, right?" Travis asked. The boy got a chuckle after seeing the eevee tilt her head.

"Yes," it answered. That voice of uncertainty had a soothing feminine tone to it. While Travis wasn't expecting this eevee to be female either, he decided to ignore it for the sake of the pokemon.

"I guess it'd be a bit rude to just roll it on the ground to you and let it get dirty. I understand you don't wanna get too close to me either, which is why I rather you catch it," explained Travis before tossing the berry over to the eevee, who pounced into the air and caught it in her little paws.

"Woot woot!" Travis praised, making the eevee giggle before showing him a triumphant grin.

Meanwhile, a lingering poochyena still hid in the same bush where the eevee once was, groaning to herself as she watched both of them. "How is able to just start trusting him so easily? He's going to try something. He has to. Every other human would," the poochyena whispered as she continued glaring at the scene.

"Thank you. You seem like a nice human. Smart too," the eevee complemented before Travis waved her off.

"Nah, don't mention it. I got plenty to share if ya want any more," Travis told her.

After nodding to the boy, the eevee turned to the same bush that she appeared from, catching Travis's curiosity. "You better come out if you want any, Zia."

_Zia? Another pokemon? What could it be?_

Before Travis could ponder for long, another rustle in the bushes snapped him out of his thoughts. This time, he was met with a pair of black paws and a black muzzle poking out of the bushes. Its big and wet pink nose led Travis to the conclusion that this wasn't an average Johto native. His burning question answered itself as the creature finally made it to the clearing, leaving the boy even more amazed than if he just found another eevee. That catastrophe that happened in Hoenn led pokemon to migrate to different regions. These regions in question were usually those like Kanto and Sinnoh, so Travis never expected to find a _poochyena_ here.

That poochyena kept a frown on her face as she stared daggers at the young man. Her protruding fangs twitched from her lips, causing Travis to give an awkward chuckle. "Heh, uh... Why the long face."

The poochyena gave no response beside a warning growl that made it clear to keep away from her. If it wasn't for the fact that this pooch was strangely adorable, he would've been intimidated with those huge huge fangs poking out of her mouth.

The eevee rolled her eyes before turning back to Travis, her ears lowering. "Sorry about her. She had a bit of an attitude problem," she told him, the hyena turning away from the human as her response. Despite this, she still kept her violet eyes on him. What an interesting feature for a poochyena.

"Oh no, don't worry about it. I think I understand." Travis reassured, soon taking a pinap berry from his stash.

Though it was only for a moment, Travis and the eevee both could see the sparkle that appeared in Zia's eyes as she noticed the pinap berry. She soon reverted her glare back to Travis.

"Ooooh! That's her favorite," the eevee chipped in, her comrade becoming flustered from the human knowing about what she considered personal information. Travis smiled at the eevee before looking over to Zia.

"Hey, you can catch too, right?" Travis called out to the poochyena, getting the hint that she didn't want to be near him in the slightest. He once again received no answer.

"You can toss it to me, and I'll-"

"I can catch for myself!" Zia barked, swiftly cutting to eevee's sentence. "Throw it, human," she commanded. Travis was taken back from her rudeness, but he was quick to shrug it off.

"Alright, here it comes," warned Travis before tossing the berry to the poochyena, who readied herself for the catch. Travis and the hazel vixen both watched as the poochyena jumped toward the berry the moment it came near her. It _would_ have been a perfect catch if she didn't jump too late.

Travis winced the moment the berry smacked the top of the pooch's head, sending her back to the ground with a thump as the pinap berry rolled over the ash gray fur on her back. There was nothing but silence before the eevee started bursting out with laughter, soon rolling on her back in an attempt to hold her sides. "Bahaha! You were always the funny one!" Travis was doing his best to hold in a snicker of his own.

"S-Shut up, Everest," barked the poochyena, her face burning a bright red before whipping her back toward the two. "Don't you dare laugh either, human." The pooch quickly snatched her berry in her claws before eating it in silence. Travis covered his mouth, not wanting to shatter her pride any further. He still couldn't wipe the smirk off of his face.

"I want to thank you properly, uh…" the eevee spoke up, catching Travis's attention.

"Travis. But like I said, don't mention it." The boy gave a chuckle as the eevee smiled at him, her tail still swaying with gratitude. "Do you have names as well?" Travis asked, taking another random berry to join the feast between the three. With a wider smile, the eevee stepped a little closer to the human.

"My name's Everest, and this lovely girl…" Everest teased, the poochyena glaring at her.

_Don't you dare give this human my name._

As if able to read the pooch's thoughts, Everest stuck her tongue at her before continuing. "I'm sure that you heard me before, but this is my little sister, Zia," she answered, the poochyena shaking as she wanted to bark curses at her. Zia gobbled down her berry to calm herself, the sour yet sweet taste of the pinap berry always being enough to soothe her nerves. That's what she thought, at least. The presence of this very human had put Zia on edge, much more than she was used to. In turn, however, this 'Travis' wasn't threatened in the slightest by her own presence. She couldn't understand why.

"You're sisters? You two do have the same eyes, now that I look closer… Was your mother a vaporeon?" Travis asked, causing Everest's ears to perk straight up while making Zia's head whip in his direction with shock. "Uhm… Yes? No? Perhaps…?" The boy chuckled.

"That was...a very good guess. How'd you know?" Everest asked, amazed by that quick conclusion. Even Zia had to admit she was a little impressed by his sheer luck.

"Well, baby pokemon take a lot of traits from their mom in the same way that humans do. Most of the time, pokemon are born the same species as the mother, though there are rare cases where the recessive traits in genes will make that change," the boy began, hoping he was sounding fancy enough for them. "You seem very calm with a lot of stamina like a lot of vaporeon usually are, so I think it's safe to assume you get a lot from your mom. You both also share the same eye color that vaporeons usually have, but I guess your sis got a lot of other traits from your dad." Travis shrugged.

Zia quickly turned away from Travis. _My eyes? What was he doing staring at my eyes? The creep._ Everest could clearly see the red that tinted her sister's cheeks. Though it had earned a raised eyebrow, she was too intrigued by her human friend to focus on it.

"You're pretty smart to figure all of that out. You'd be surprised how much she has in common with Dad," Everest complemented, making the boy chuckled before she eyed his bag again. "Mind if we have some more berries over here?"

"Don't mind at all, here," said Travis, taking two more berries out of the bag before tossing the remains of the stash over to Everest. While Everest blinked at the bag, Zia narrowed her eyes as she kept her gaze pointed at the trees.

_My instincts are screaming it. I_ _ **know**_ _he's planning something,_ Zia thought. Travis chuckled as he caught the eevee's expression, taking a bite out of one of his last berries.

"This place is harsh sometimes with all the new pokemon roaming around. I guess it's hard to get things for yourself, which is why you came here. Though my grandparents had given those to me, I guess helping out those who needed it more was another reason for me to bring the stash along. Whether it'd be food, medicine or whatever. You can't be too careful, so I try to bring supplies with me wherever I go."

"That's good, because the two of us would probably starve if it weren't for you. Right, Zia?" Everest asked before turning to her sister, who still didn't plan to give Travis the satisfaction of acknowledging him.

"Hey, no biggie! It's pretty late out, so you should probably head back home before something else can happen. Don't want anyone taking what's yours, y'know?" Everest smirked at the boy's words.

"Yeeeeah, I happened to be telling someone about that earlier today," said Everest, her gaze still on her sister before turning back to Travis. "You're right though. It was nice meeting you, Travis." The eevee grabbed the bag of berries in her maw before pulling it back toward the way she came. She gave one last look to Travis before finally making her exit. Zia glared at Travis before following her sister and helping to carry the weight without a word being said.

While it had concerned Travis, the boy didn't seem too flustered toward her distaste for humans. It was most likely with reason, though helping out was something that Travis would obligate himself to do regardless of how someone felt about him. Even if someone wouldn't appreciate himself, it wouldn't stop him. He made one last call to them. "Be safe out there! If you guys need anything, I'll be in Olivine City!" Travis shouted with a wave.

Travis couldn't hear them at this point, but Everest gave a muffled thanks while Zia was busy grumbling under her breath as she held the other end of the bag. The poochyena couldn't fathom why her sister would insist that they, _she_ , needed help from some low down human. She didn't know the answer, and didn't expect to have to find out in the future…

* * *

Travis found himself staring at the dying flame of the campfire as the events of earlier tonight crossed his mind. He felt pity for the two pokemon, knowing that they had no way of survival out here. Even with the attitude that Zia had shown him, it would have been epic to offer them a home. It was very unlikely that he'd run into the two pokemon again, so it was too late to regret over the past.

The boy dumped some dirt on the fire as he yawned to the moon, a hiss making its way through the clumps of dirt as the fire was turned into wavering smoke and ashes. Travis made sure to stomp the ashes before retreating to his sleeping bag after a long day. He looked up to the crescent moon, resting his head on his hands.

_Life's pretty cruel, but I'm sure those two will be alright. They're nice pokemon, and they work hard to look after each other. It's still pretty bothering… To know that Zia probably thinks every human will put a knife in her back…_ Travis's thoughts slowly drifted away, as if carried by the cool breeze that came through the night. The boy's world went black as he drifted into a deep sleep, hoping that Zia would one day find her way out of the dark...


	2. E For Emergency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I meant to get this chapter out two days ago, but internet problems have been bugging me for a while now. You'll be getting a vague idea of where the story is going in this chapter. You may or may not find it entertaining, but you guys will see for yourselves. Enjoy!

"Damn it, Zia. You need help, and there's no way I'm leaving you bleeding to death!" Everest yelled as she dragged the poochyena through the depths of Route 39, desperately in search of what she knew the both of them needed. More accurately, it was _who_ the both of them needed.

Thick puddles of blood marked the trail behind them, much more from Zia than Everest. The eevee had a couple of scrapes and scratches, thin traces of blood matting her once clean coat. How Everest had fared was nothing in comparison to Zia, however.

The poochyena had a large gash on her hip with several cuts that dug into her sides and stomach. The blood that the pooch shed coated much more of her coat, leaving her fur clumped with red stains. She was lucky that Everest made decent use of a caterpie's web to temporarily bandage her wounds, the eevee having a natural skill of thinking on her feet. Both of them knew better than to think this would last though. They needed serious medical attention.

"No way, I'd rather…" the poochyena coughed between her words, spitting blood on the grass beneath their feet. "I'd rather die than let you do that. Not… Not a chance in hell. I'll be alright…" Zia was forced to lean on Everest as her crutch, unable to walk on her own without her. Despite that cold fact, Zia still tried to break from her sister's grip every chance she had but proved much too weak to succeed It pissed her off.

Everest strained herself into using the remains of her energy to keep dragging Zia's weight with her own, which was much easier said than done considering the poochyena was twice her weight. As they stalked through the tall grass, Everest became uncertain with her choice of action. With the farm too far away, Everest knew that _he_ was their best chance of securing Zia's survival, so she pressed forward...

* * *

Travis was finally back on the road as morning finally returned to Johto, humming a childhood tune as he trotted through the rest of Route 39. As pleasant as the warmth was, it warned Travis that he had slept longer than he had wanted. He was none too bothered.

 _Almost home,_ Travis thought as he noticed the little squares of town in the distance. Olivine City was only a short while away.

Travis knew that his mother probably had him on the mind since he failed to mention his camping escapade to anyone. She knew that he was an outside person by nature with the ability to walk for long periods with little rest, and a night lurker more than anything. Mom would probably just chuckle about it since she knew what to expect.

"Just a few minutes before- Huh?" Travis paused his trot, scanning his surroundings before tilting his head. "Could have sworn I heard my name…" Without another sign, Travis shrugged the assumption and continued his walk until…

"Travis!" Travis stopped, looking around once more. Someone had _definitely_ called his name, and he could see who it was after turning for the fifth time. A smile tugged at his cheeks as he noticed the familiar faces. "Oh, it's you guys. What's…"

Travis's sentence was cut short when the two pokemon who were once long behind him came within a few feet of his view. One was slightly bruised with a few minor cuts, but the other was in much worse shape, now unconscious from the blood loss. The sight of Everest and Zia being in such bad shape made Travis's muscles numb.

"Holy shit, what happened!?" Travis demanded, making Everest flinch from the sudden change of tone that she was used to. Noticing this, Travis took a deep breath and loosened himself. "Sorry… What happened to you two?"

"It's too long of a story right now!" Everest shouted before she pushed her nose into her sister's coat as if it were an attempt to wake her up. "You said that you had medicine, right? We need it, please! Zia's going to die if we don't do something!" she pleaded, threatening to go into tears before Travis frowned.

"Well… Normal medicines wouldn't help with gashes like those, and I don't have any more potions either. The only thing I could do is bandage her, but she needs to be taken to a pokecenter." Travis knelt to examine the poochyena, impressed that one of them thought to bandage Zia with a string shot. That too was being marked with Zia's blood. "She's lost way too much blood already…"

Though he was a laid back and nice individual, Travis struggled with paying attention to details when in a rush. He wished he hadn't been in such a hurry, as a hyper potion from the pokemart would do wonders for the two of them right now. It was too late for regrets, for he got the hint Zia would surely die if he didn't make a move.

Everest was mute. She knew that his plan was probably for the best, as the eevee liked Travis, but was starting to trust the help of a professional much more than his own. Professionals most likely remember their supplies… "O… Okay, I guess. Just don't keep us there, alright?"

"You've got my word!" Travis confirmed with a salute before dropping his bag and fumbling through its contents. Everest crooked her head, curious about what the young man was looking for before he pulled out a pokeball that was covered in red and had a white 'E' on the upper half.

Everest's eyes shot open when Travis pressed the button on the ball, the red beam of light aimed at her sister. Zia's form was soon engulfed in the light before being consumed by the ball with neither a ding or shake. Even though that was odd for a pokeball, Everest still had reason to confirm that Travis just caught her sister.

"H-Hey! What did you do!?" Everest shouted, shocked at the sight of the human she trusted doing something so bold right in front of her. Travis looked at Everest with the most dull-minded expression known to man, not understanding why she was upset before he finally caught on, much later than Everest would have liked.

"Oh, shoot," said Travis, slapping his face as Everest looked to be fighting the urge to bite the boy's foot off. She wanted an explanation, and the look of irritancy on her face said that she wanted to hear it _now_. "You see, this is an emergency ball. Its use is transporting wild pokemon who need medical attention, like what we need now," Travis explained.

"Okay, but-"

"Let me finish, Everest," Travis said, cutting the eevee off before she bit her lip. "This ball doesn't have binding properties like a standard pokeball. If you didn't notice, the ball doesn't shake or even give that dinging noise pokeballs make when pokemon are captured. The catch here is only temporary, and Zia can break free whenever she wants after three hours. Trust me, Everest, I wouldn't force either of you to be my pokemon. Haven't even had a pokemon to my name since I was born," Travis said with a smile.

Everest was no psychic to tell whether or not Travis was lying, but she didn't want to lose her faith in him. The fox smiled back. "Okay, thank you then."

"It's too bad I've only got the one," Travis admitted, giving the ball to Everest. The eevee stood on her rear legs and held the ball tightly against her scruff of white fur. "You can hold that while we run to the center back in town."

Everest yipped when Travis picked her up by the waist, similarly holding the eevee to how she held her sister. _Not sure if this is the least bit comfortable, but it'll have to do._ The eevee was quick to catch on to Travis's luck.

"Alright, let's go I guess." The eevee slumped in his arms to give her tired limbs a break. There wasn't another word before Travis rushed to town as quick as his legs would allow. Though his home wasn't far from where they were, Travis wouldn't bother with wasting time…

As big as Olivine City was, it was nowhere as busy as most would expect. People took life easy as they strolled down the streets while having casual conversations. Fishing was a major pastime for the locals, and sometimes they'd be treated to seeing sailors wrestling on the pier until the wood would break underneath them, yet again.

While it wasn't deserted, the city was even less busy than usual nowadays. Travis didn't know what this meant, but he had more important issues to deal with, currently dashing through the streets and buildings before he would finally reach the pokemon center.

Despite bouncing with each of Travis's stomps, Everest had somehow managed to fall asleep within the past ten minutes, her ears wavering in the breeze. She was still able to hold the pokeball that kept her sister between her little paws.

It was thanks to the automatic doors opening for his entrance that Travis didn't mistakenly slam into them. The boy stumbled as he forced himself to slow down with the exhausted eevee in his grip, giving a few breaths as the visitors of the centered stared at him with pure befuddlement. Despite that, their attention immediately shot to the shiny eevee wrapped in the boy's arms, most of their eyes nearly shooting out of their sockets from how hard they stared.

Travis trotted up to the counter where the town's nurse gave him a similar look of surprise, though she looked to be concerned for the bleeding Everest. She also glanced at the emergency ball that the vee was holding.

The lady wore what was considered a standard white nurse's outfit with a trim of gold around the edges. Likewise to the trims, her hair was golden as well, going just below her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes were filled with concern for the injured fox. "What happened to your eevee?" The nurse tried to keep her voice calm, though her expression said she was feeling less than implied.

Travis sat Everest down on the counter, whose ear fell over her eyes as she continued to snooze. _She's definitely the heavy sleeper of the two… What am I saying? Now isn't the time for that._ Along with Everest came the emergency ball that Zia was in. After thinking about the nurse's question, Travis remembered that he still didn't have the answer himself.

"I… don't know. I just found two pokemon out of town. The other one," Travis pointed at the emergency ball. "...is in much worse shape. I guess they were attacked by another wild pokemon..."

Travis examined the cuts on Everest. Whatever made them had to have long claws that were meant to tear through fur and skin, to slaughter what they struck. This wicked beast made a much scarier example with Zia than it did with Everest. The nurse frowned.

"Looks like it." The nurse picked up Everest in one hand, carefully handling Zia's ball in the other. "I'll be happy to help them if that's what you want." Though Travis had kept a neutral expression this entire time, something about the way she said that put a sour taste in his mouth.

 _Of course that's what I need! They need it more than I do at that!_ Travis took a deep breath, deciding it were best to not stress it. "Uh… Yeah, please… Is it alright if I wait? I kinda made a promise to the eevee," Travis explained, the nurse nodding to him.

"Of course." The nurse gestured over to what Travis assumed to be the waiting room, a void with three lone chairs, sat to complement its barren atmosphere.

* * *

Travis sat in the vacant hall for what felt like hours. Anticipation and boredom were getting the better of him, to the point where he would find himself peeling his fingernails or suddenly find his hands and feet fidgeting about.

He realized that he cared about these pokemon more than he should, though the answer to why was unclear. While Everest's case was a little understandable, an eevee who was caring to her core, Travis knew that he cared for Zia as well, despite her thoughts on him.

Though Travis thought the twins would pull through, he feared the creature lurking in the wild that he had apparently evaded on his way back. As far as he knew, hostile pokemon were a rare thing in Johto, unless one mentioned the Lake of Rage or Mount Silver. It was still out there somewhere, and the thought of crossing paths with it unsettled the boy.

"There's some good news, Travis!" shouted the nurse, trotting into the hall where Travis whipped his head in her direction. The teenager had to admit that the lady had spooked him, but he quickly smiled when he realized what she said. "The eevee and poochyena are pulling through. They've been bandaged and all, and the eevee said she wanted to talk to you when she woke up. Her name was Everest, I think?"

Travis hopped to his feet, eagerly clenching his fist. "Just lead the way! Please." Both of them trudged down the hall.

"I've never seen a poochyena around here. They're...a lot less appealing than I thought," the nurse said, making Travis's frown broad.

The young man knew that the nurse wasn't attempting to be rude, but he had no clue why she would think that way. While Travis didn't get anywhere near the pooch, he could say that he thought she was nowhere near ugly. Her revealing tusks and stubby snout made her stand out uniquely, and Travis found that he could admire those features…

It only took a few seconds for the nurse and Travis to reach the last door down the hall, finding two twin size beds upon entering inside. As the teen expected, he noticed two familiar canines on each mattress.

Everest was awake, content with the silence as Zia snoozed under her blankets. An empty blood bag sat attached to a pole next to the pooch's bed, Travis taking note of it as the nurse left them to their own devices.

Having heard the door finally close, Everest turned to Travis and gave him a warm smile as he walked over to her bed. Travis appreciated the cool air as he took a seat in a lone chair, though he had found the atmosphere bleak.

"Ya feeling any better, Everest?" Travis asked. All of the eevee's wounds were now hidden away by her bandages while her bruises barely existed anymore. Her hazel fur appeared to have had a nice brushing as well.

The shiny vee nodded. "Mhm. Still sore from that strain but I wasn't in too bad of shape anyway. I feel as good as new, almost," Everest reassured, shuffling in the sheets as she scooted closer to Travis. The young man didn't think much of this until Everest leaned in and kissed his cheek, leaving the boy with a boiling red face. Everest giggled after a moment of watching the boy stare into space before settling back into her sheets. "That's sadly the most I can do to thank you."

"H-Hah, no problem," Travis squeaked, and he awkwardly twiddled his thumbs. While that certainly felt 'nice', Travis quickly brought himself back to reality and turned his attention to Zia. He found it odd how the poochyena had yet to wake up and notice any of what was going on, but the way she was curled under the sheets made her pretty darn adorable. At the very least, she was still alive.

The string shot that was previously around her torso was finally replaced with a wrap of bandages around the same area, adding her hips. Her fur somehow had been cleaned as well, the poochyena's shaggy yet thick coat looking as well as her sister's.

"How's she holding up by the way?" Travis asked.

"She'll be fine, I hope," Everest sighed. "Just glad she isn't awake. She'd throw a fit if she knew where she was and what happened while she slept." Travis brought a hand to his chin.

"What did they do?"

"Well the lady bathed her, and she also did this weird thing because she lost so much blood... I think she said something about giving Zia the blood of a typhlosion…?" Everest brought a paw to her chin as she pondered on it while Travis attempted to keep himself from snickering. "I wonder if she'll breathe fire now…"

"Uh… No. I think you mean a blood _transfusion_ …" Travis chuckled.

Everest's face became red when she caught on, smacking herself in the face. "Oh," the eevee said with a giggle.

"She gave Zia blood from another pokemon. Centers like this usually keep a lot of donated blood, and they're checked for things like viruses and all that. I've never heard of a pokemon's type changed through this process, but she was probably given the blood of a similar pokemon. Houndour is probably the best example. Whatever the case, Zia's gonna be the same when she wakes up," Travis informed, the eevee nodding before looking toward her sister with a smile. Zia was the most important thing in the world to her.

The eevee still had another question. "So. When do you think you'll be out of here?" Travis asked, taking the eevee out of her thoughts. He had asked the question for her, which only left her questioning more.

"I…really don't know. The lady said we have to stay here until we get better. We apparently can't fend for ourselves now and... Zia's going to be _far_ from happy about this, and I will admit that this place gives me the creeps too. It's…too weird here…" Everest sighed.

It was too bad that the nurse was right. It'd do no justice if they ran into the same monster that got them here and they couldn't escape. Staying here however didn't leave many good options either, mostly because Zia had a hatred for people.

It wasn't clear if the pooch would go berserk and cause chaos for everybody here, possibly leading to getting tranquilized. Travis feared the thought, and he knew that the situation with her would only worsen. Travis had a third option. While he wasn't sure if that option was any good, it was worth speaking while he had something on his mind.

"I'm not sure if this'll be any better...but, I might be able to let you stay at my place until you guys get better," Travis said with a shrug before Everest widened her eyes at him. She bounced out of her sheets and slammed her tiny paws onto Travis's shoulders, an action that barely fazed the teen. The eevee's tail swished wildly.

"You kidding me!? Better you than a bunch of people that we don't even know! Could you really do that?" There was a spark in the eevee's eyes, flickering with life through every word.

"Well… There's no harm in asking. If you guys were already my pokemon, we'd be out of here by now," Travis answered with a laugh as he stood up, accidentally bumping noses with Everest, who sat back down on the bed with a reassuring smile. The teen was left with another blush as he stepped out of the room, hoping that this conversation would be a quick one…

* * *

The conversation with the center's nurse flew quicker than Travis would've thought, only taking a few minutes for him to go back and meet Everest in the room. As the eevee waited for him patiently in her bed, Zia was still luckily asleep in hers. "Well? What did she say?" Travis sat back down in the seat next to Everest's bed as a smile tugged his cheeks.

"I had to pull some strings, but the good news is that you're coming with me!" Travis exclaimed before he raised his open hand to Everest. Though Everest's big grin had expressed her enthusiasm, the fox withheld jumping out of the bed as she examined Travis's gesture. Blinking after a few seconds, Everest instantly slapped her paw with his hand in a high-five.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Everest cheered, though her gratitude didn't last too long. She looked at her snoozing sister with a frown. "We'll need to get her used to that idea, _somehow_ , but I think it's probably better than staying here." Travis frowned as well, looking down to his feet.

It would be a most interesting sleepover...

The next two hours were full of tedious activities involving Travis signing _stacks_ of paperwork. It was a relief when the nurse finally gave Travis the final okay to take Everest and Zia home, their well-being now being entirely entrusted to him as well as the promise of releasing them once they have healed. The only loophole out of that was if he decided to capture them.

Now that she was partially healed, Everest denied going for another ride in Travis's arms and instead found a much more comfortable position on his head. The eevee was bigger and heavier than most having reached full maturity, but Travis didn't mind carrying her weight. She made sure to keep her rear paws hooked to the boy's shoulders as they traversed the streets, and they've gained a lot of attention from passersby this way.

As for Zia, the still dozing pooch was being held by an incredibly bold Travis, who didn't want to put her back in the ball. Though he knew she wouldn't be nearly as comfortable if she had been awake, Travis still compared her to a sleeping child...only much bigger and heavier. The poochyena was as mature as her sister.

"I'll admit I'm getting second thoughts about holding her now," the boy said, fearing that Zia would suddenly wake and tear his hands off. She had a cute face, but nobody could see it without looking through those teeth.

"You'll be fine. Just don't be too close to her when she wakes up," Everest joked, giving Travis more incentive to pick up the pace.

"By the way… Now that you guys are good, you mind telling me what brought us here in the first place?" Travis asked, Everest's smile fading away.

 _Well… It's the least I can do for him…_ "I'll keep it brief. We had a long way to go back home after we separated last night, and we met another pokemon who wanted the berries you gave us. It didn't bother with asking, just outright attacked us instead. I tried to run and leave it alone but Zia tried giving him justice...only to get her butt handed to her. It got angry and went after us while I had to drag Zia out of the fray, and it got us a few good times before we finally escaped. The farm was still too far to run to, and that monster was blocking our path anyway, so the only option I had was to go after you…" Everest explained.

 _Zia is too bold for her own good, as well as other people…_ "Any idea what the pokemon was?" Everest shook her head to the question. She would've left it at that if she didn't realize Travis couldn't see her response.

"Never seen any pokemon like it, couldn't tell its gender either. Never spoke a real word, and its scent was like nothing we've ever smelled before," Everest answered. The boy nodded, causing the eevee body to bob up and down with the way his head moved. She held her head and stomach in her dazed state.

"Guess it's a foreign 'mon. I've never heard of anything out of control around these parts unless it was an angry tauros, but the miltank handle them like lightweights. Your sister's brave." _Weird… I was always told that poochyena was a very intelligent pokemon, despite their aggressiveness. They know when it's better to run…_

Everest giggled. "That's Zia for ya. Sometimes, I wish that she wasn't so brave because she gets super stubborn. Still… Can't help but admire her at least a bit. I'm still proud to call her my sister," Everest said, poking her head over Travis's shoulder to grin at her sister. The boy nodded.

"Well, I don't have a problem with you guys staying at my place with all your bravery, but we gotta find a way to chill Zia's attitude once she gets up. No telling how she'll react once she wakes up, and I don't want my mom to get bothered. Majority of this is my responsibility, and I don't want to treat you guys like kids when you're my age but...just try to behave. I trust you, Everest, but you know."

"Okay, though it's hard to guarantee since she never found herself in a situation like this. I doubt she'll be that much trouble in her condition, she'll probably tire herself out when she barks her first curse," the eevee giggled.

"Hope she can come around though. It's gonna be a bad experience unless we can get along, but she probably just needs a push… Can't change her mind about me though," Travis said with a frown, only just recognizing what a situation he had gotten himself into…

* * *

" _Holy…fucking...shit…_ " stuttered Travis from the safety of his closet, the boy and Everest left to stare as Zia thrashed her body around his room like a set of pissed firecrackers. Travis chanced a peak from the closet once more as the poochyena slammed herself into a now nearly broken wooden dresser. The pain the pooch was supposedly in was nonexistent.

The indigo painted walls and red curtains were littered with claw marks, and the poochyena suddenly knew parkour as she bounced across the walls like a moth. Travis knew that his room was no sanctuary, but now everything was a damn pigsty.

Whatever was in the open was no longer safe, which was made clear as the poochyena once again stomped over Travis's Nintendo Wii. The boy winced, thanking the gods that Zia couldn't reach the ceiling fan and destroy that as well.

Travis had followed his gut and closed the door upon coming into the room, now finding it to be a smart move as Zia couldn't dash out and destroy anything else. No matter what guesses he would make, he wouldn't have guessed the poochyena would be _this_ much trouble. As Zia was busy yelling profanities and screeches, Travis looked over to Everest, the eevee being locked in place as she stared at the chaos.

" _Do. Something,_ " Travis hissed, though he hated to sound so demanding to the sweet eevee. Everest blinked.

"O-Oh, right!" Everest shouted, narrowing her gaze at the pooch before throwing herself into the fray.

The fox tackled the pooch and pinned her down, though how she was able to accomplish that was unknown. Zia's tongue fell out of her mouth, her eyes lidding as her fatigue conveniently seemed to overtake her. The pooch didn't attempt to push the eevee off, gritting her teeth as her body squirmed.

Travis remained hidden in his closet until he noticed the pooch's ragged breaths, finally crawling out as he felt it was safe to do so. Zia's heavy breathing had soon ceased, closing her mouth as she scanned around whatever parts of the room she could. Her eyes locked on Travis the minute that she spotted him next to the bed, making the boy jump.

"You motherfucker! Where are we!? I will make your life a living hell if you-" Zia's mouth clamped shut when a few shimmering stars smacked the back of her head. Zia didn't seem harmed, but Everest's use of swift got the message across.

The pooch's frown and furrowed brows said that she was still going to be pissed, knowing Everest let this human put his hands on her, ignoring the fact that she was at least alive. _Where have this human's_ _ **filthy**_ _hands been, and how long was he touching up on me? God, humans are creeps._

"Will you chill out and listen, you crazy pooch?" Everest hissed, the poochyena giving a huff before closing her eyes. Travis leaned toward the wall, unable to get up from the floor as he stared up to the ceiling.

 _A poochyena that was near death can cause all of this, what a world we live in… She's pretty darn tough…_ There was a pause in his thoughts. _Admiring her strength is the last thing I should be doing…_

"Travis helped us out of that scrap. After you passed out and I went to him for help, he gave us the help you know we needed! Even after that, Travis offered to take us back to his home after hearing we would've been stuck in that pokemon center, which would have been even worse. You would have been _dead_ if it weren't for him," Everest informed, Zia locking her eyes back to Travis as her ear flickered. Everest remained silent, finally stepping off of the poochyena.

Though she was cramping, the pooch finally sat up after a few failed attempts. Her stare became void of emotion, Travis and Zia both frowning from the sight of Zia just staring at Travis. Eventually, the pooch turned her back to Travis with a huff as she stuck her pink nose up with pride. _Can't believe I stared at that creature that long…_

"Don't think I owe ya one, human," said Zia, the human in question tilting his head as his response.

 _I'm not getting too much of a reward for doing this anyway._ Travis shook his head, knowing it wasn't good to think so negatively. "A thanks would suffice, really," Travis sighed. "All you gotta do is get better, and that's why I did all of this. I don't want you to give me anything."

Zia didn't respond, leaving her supposed enemy trying to figure out what went through her mind as he was almost sure she didn't hear him at all. After a minute of silence, Zia turned her head slightly so she could see him again. The malice that was in her eyes was gone, for a slight moment, but she looked somewhat tripped.

 _I trash the place where he sleeps, and yet he isn't mad. Not even a threat to hit me, no flick at my nose. That's what trainers do to pokemon they think are shitty. Why isn't he mad!?_ The pooch's brow furrowed again in an instant and turned back around. "Thanks is all you're gonna get from me. This changes nothing between us," Zia hissed.

Travis grumbled, bringing a hand to his face. _What is she trying to do here? Is she trying to get me to play along into something or what? If so… I can't let her get under my skin. If I do the same thing to her, maybe that's a step in the right direction…? I just gotta be nice. Be me._ Travis took a breath as Everest glared at her sister. _Time to take responsibility and accept how things are gonna be. Something's gotta give eventually._

"Might as well add to what I said earlier. Until _both_ of us get better enough to fend for ourselves, I agreed with Travis that we'd be staying here. Like it or not, you surely can't do anything about it now that you harmed yourself even more," Everest giggled, sticking her tongue out to the pooch that whipped her head to face her. She frowned and turned back around, grumbling profanities as she knocked her head against the nearby wall. "Sucks when I'm right, doesn't it?"

Travis pitied the poor pooch, though he lacked good reason to. Considering that Zia had looked down on and threatened the teen, Travis could admit that he shouldn't feel the way he does, but he just couldn't get pissed at her.

"Fine," Zia finally said before glaring at Travis once again. "Hope you're proud of yourself, cunt." The poochyena went to the farthest corner of the room before curling up. She wrapped her tail around herself as if it were a means of protection as Everest looked to Travis.

"She's tough, but she's more bark than bite. Don't pay her any mind," Everest said for a huffing Zia.

Travis doubted her words with the way Zia threw herself about earlier, but he still trusted her. "Is there anything more I can do to thank you? You've done so much for us already…" The eevee's kindness was enough to bring a smile back to Travis's face.

"No worries, just happy to help…" When Zia came into mind, Travis began to doubt that statement. "Hey, Zia?" The boy didn't get a response, as the poochyena finding the wall much more appealing. A work of art compared to this human. "If I ever do anything that you don't like, feel free to headbutt me in the gut or something." Everest's ears flattened upon hearing him.

 _Letting a pokemon hit a human when_ _ **they**_ _did something wrong?_ Zia snickered, shaking her head. _God, he's more spineless than I thought._ The poochyena snorted, smirking at the boy. "Who am I to turn down such a fine offer?" That was the first time the pooch sounded genuinely happy since they met. She hated Travis's guts.

 _I swear I'm the only one in this room using common sense…_ Everest thought before turning to Travis, seeing that the boy looked awfully confident. Everest knew better than anyone that that teenager would go through hell and back before finally earning her sister's trust, and this made her fear for him. _Just how much is he going to go through to make that happen…?_


	3. Housebroken or Broken House?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is much too short now, but we're back. I am honestly hoping these last few weeks haven't put my writing through the wringer. I hope you all enjoy it!

Zia wouldn't admit it to a single soul, but her hissy fit had left her completely drained in the middle of what she considered a hostile situation. Though the fur on her back stood like tacks, the corner she was staring at grew more blurry no matter how much she forced her eyes open. That human was still behind her, probably with a dagger in hand, but gravity had her by the snout, pulling her body until she was on her side. The world around her became black.

...And that pooch finally fell asleep.

The whir of the ceiling fan was the only thing to be heard, but the winds didn't do much to relieve Travis of his soaked brow. The silence was a tad awkward, but Everest almost cracked a grin from it. Perhaps the two thought it would be better this way, and a nap was the perfect medicine for the less than perfect stress...

Three hours wasn't as much sleep as she would've wanted, but Everest was awake nonetheless. It was significantly darker than she remembered, the only sources of light being those that lit up the city streets from out of the window. When she shuffled, the eevee felt the presence of a blanket, and so Everest finally sat up as her paws glided over the mattress.

Travis would have surely been asleep still, given that he allowed her to nap with him on his bed, but she only heard the gifted snore of one particular person. The eevee would often think that Zia's big red snout was stuffed every night from the beastly noises that she could make with it.

The vixen scanned the room, passing through torn curtains and broken wood until she stopped on Travis, who was sitting next to her. She frowned upon examining his posture. It appeared that he hadn't moved since he first sat on the bed, but the presence of pajamas had changed her mind. It had been a while since she had seen a human that cared about undressing in front of others, especially in their own house, but it was much more concerning to find him staring at her sister.

"Something on your mind, T?"

He jumped out of his skin at the sound of the eevee's voice, and the bed bounced along with him. Everest's frown broadened. "...Uhm. You alright? Sorry if I scared you…" she whispered, soon trailing into a giggle as her friend met her gaze.

The boy could tell who she was, not just by the sound of her voice, but also her shape. Those nightly walks paid off for Travis, who used to trip over boulders and people alike in the dark hours. Now he could tell just about everything apart no matter the time, even if his sight wasn't nearly as strong as a pokemon's.

"Didn't know you were up, Everest." Travis started to chuckle as Everest smiled patiently.

Eyes widening to a realization, a smile tugged at Travis's lips when the nickname Everest gave him came to mind. While the thought of his friendship with Everest was pleasant, Travis smacked himself when he reminded himself of the question. Everest's head cocked an inch further with each slap he made.

"Yeah… I do have something on my mind." His eyes returned to Zia's silhouette, which was almost impossible to see in this darkness. Though he released a hum, the look in his face did not give a peaceful vibe. "Maybe it's obvious, but I can't stop thinking about what happened to Zia that makes her hate humans so much. It's the first time that I felt like... _scum_."

With a sigh, the fox's ears crumpled against the sides of her head. She stared at the sheets as she pushed her blanket to the side. A few moments passed as her thoughts muddled in her head, prompting Travis to look back to her before she finally grunted. _Maybe telling him something will benefit the three of us… Hopefully._

Travis became more unsure the longer Everest had hesitated, and he shivered when she finally met his gaze.

"I'll keep it short for you and explain the important details. It's a…rather personal story for me, but I can trust you enough to fill you in. You deserve it," whispered Everest, before peeking at her sister who had yet to shuffle, thankfully. That poochyena would become a set of firecrackers if she knew the secret Everest planned to tell.

"Okay." The boy's lips pursed, and he crossed his legs as Everest's gaze dropped to the sheets. "Whenever you're ready. No rush." Her gaze eventually returned to him after a moment. Everest needed him to know what he was getting into.

"I guess you could say I was a... _used_ pokemon, but I should explain what that _really_ means, coming from me, before telling more…" The bewildered expression that she gained from Travis was proof enough that she should. Anticipation somehow had her by the throat as much as it had Travis's, and she grew tired of beating around the bush.

"So I'll explain it like this… We both know that there are criminals around Johto, which goes as much for us pokemon just as well as you humans, though this involves only human ones… Human criminals very often use pokemon for tools, whether it be for thievery, murder, or whatever as long as there's a benefit. And then there are the ones who enjoy using us as toys to get them off, and that is...what I went through."

With a cough, Everest's paw ran over her throat before looking at Travis's expression once more. The uncertainty of Travis's brows was completely gone, now replaced with a petrified expression. The little vee didn't fidget or even give the slightest twitch after her speech though, and the sight of her stone-like composure loosened Travis's stare. Despite having cooled down, Travis appeared to still have a tack in his throat and his pale had yet to disappear.

"Humans raided home some time ago and took whatever pokemon they could find, leaving Zia and me in a tough spot, as you could imagine. What I cared about was saving Zia's skin, and when we had the chance I told her to run and that I would follow her once she got far. You wouldn't believe me if I said that she took my word. She wasn't nearly as prideful," Everest trailed into a weak chuckle. "Anyway, I always heard from humans that we were some of the rarest creatures around, which did no favors."

Travis took a breather between her sentences, before crossing his legs with a nod. "I decided to stay behind and fight back so Zia could run, then she noticed that I didn't keep my promise. Maybe that's why she doesn't trust my word anymore… When Zia came back that's when I feel things went for the worst, even if she did manage to tear on those guys' legs…" Travis slightly shuddered from the image that appeared in his mind.

This poochyena still was not to be taken lightly, and the boy didn't want to get too far on her bad side. But if that's how savage she could be, why didn't she do away with Travis while she had the chance?

"...But the most painful bit to me was seeing Zia get stomped by the first guy that got a hold of her. And then there were the names… 'Snaggletoothed ugly mutt' or whatever they all would say. I wanted to kill them myself, but...I couldn't even stand on my own feet. It was the last I saw of her for a while after that."

 _There it is again!_ What was with this bullying of the poochyena? Who gave anyone the right to call her names? Why did Travis even care about these things, when Zia treated him like dirt? He would ask if he were blind, but he remembered that Everest shared similar views with him. Not everyone could have thought of Zia that way. She was fine as she was, and Travis would be damned if-

"It didn't end there, of course." Everest's voice brought Travis back from his monologue. "Zia was left behind that day, but that didn't stop her from following me to a place I think was named Goldenrod…? I… I won't go into detail with what happened inside of that building, but I remember smelling Zia on the outside through the musk. I thought they caught her and were doing unspeakable shit, but I heard a voice from outside later, and it gave me answers. People were beating her, those yelps clouded about everything else for me. I wasn't sure if it were for the better, b-but…" Everest's muscles began to shake. A few huffs and sniffling were soon heard through the darkness of the room before the vee rubbed her face with a paw.

Travis was stuck in his statue-like posture, unsure of if he should take action. Those near-silent sobs finally reached his ear as the room suddenly grew chilly. He took Everest in his arms and held her close to his chest. She vigorously returned his hug, her paws wrapped around his neck as she muffled her cries into his shirt.

"I don't care for what anyone has to say, but knowing my sister was in pain was worst than any amount of pain rape could bring me. My sister is something that will last forever, anyone who has siblings knows that. They'll always follow you, even if you can't see them again…"

As Everest pulled away, Travis felt his muscles turn into bricks. His eyes became sore as he was shedding tears of his own. There was an incredible, yet unnatural urge to suddenly thrust his foot through a window. He took a deep breath as Everest settled on her paws and he wiped his face. Now he knew that there was some common ground with the poochyena. She wasn't that bad.

"This would be a reason why she treats you like this, but the other… I really shouldn't talk about that until Zia is comfortable, which won't be for a while. She doesn't talk to me about it either, yet I can't blame her for most of her actions. Those guys were anything but human, acting on instinct rather than morals. At least Zia got the police after possibly forever, which is still brave of her, considering everything…"

Travis only now realized that he didn't say a word during Everest's story. There had been too many emotions clashing within his mind, but none came out more than disgust. It was almost always some situation like this whenever Travis heard about the topic of human and pokemon intimacy, violence and sadness. Almost none of it felt natural anymore, but Travis was still indifferent, and he never had a pokemon on his own to get an opinion.

Never had he been faced with something so controversial, but all the same, no one deserved to lose their sibling in any way. There was a bit of happiness to gain from seeing that the sisters would bust their asses for each other, and that probably reassured Everest as it would Travis.

"Everest… I don't know what to say to any of that… A sorry won't do anything, but I understand where you guys are coming from now. I just didn't think it would be _this_ bad," muttered Travis.

The Goldenrod City scandal was something that Zia and Everest were victims of, the pieces were finally clicking. Travis wondered if there would ever be a time of peace between pokemon and humans, and to think that Zia hated him just because he was a human and supposedly against. His hands came over his face as another sigh drew from him.

"...I just wish Zia would give me a chance. I couldn't bring myself to harm a pokemon, through rape or whatever. What person in their right mind could do something like that? It's just...fucking wrong…" Zia wanted power in whatever situation she was given as she had none in the past. Travis had no clue how to introduce her to an even slate for both of them.

"Don't stress over it, T. It's over, and I'm still glad that Zia and me survived through it. Besides, she's gotten a lot stronger since then, and now I can't match her unless I wanted to evolve. She always told me that she wants to be 'the strongest damn poochyena around', or something like that. She does a fair job on it… But I wish she'd get some compassion back too." The vee looked up to Travis before putting a paw on his arm. "Look, Travis, I know that Zia can be a pain in the ass, but she could come around… I don't know. You could be her best friend one day, give her a reason to smile and everything... She's real sweet, deep down, she just needs a chance too. I think you have a shot at this."

The way that Everest would still stand up for her sister in a situation like this was something beautiful to Travis, and the sincerity toward him was hard to miss. Even after reminding himself of Zia's assault that destroyed the place where he slept, Travis's grin played his lips like strings.

"Fair," he chuckled.

"In the meantime… Well, at least I trust in you. I hope that's enough for now..." Another giggled escaped with her trailing words. Travis nodded, still with his own chuckle to follow.

"Guess I like you two too much to care, but I understand. How about I get some food ready or something? I already know I'm pretty hungry."

Everest's ears straightened at his question, and her stomach rumbled almost too conveniently, causing Travis's chuckle to heighten in pitch. Her ears quickly fell once again.

"Should I wake Zia?"

Travis shrugged, but it was clear he was fairly hesitant with that action alone just from looking at the room another time. Too much was on his mind…

"Better sooner than later, I don't want her to starve any longer than you do. I'll start getting prepared while you two do your thing. I'll be a bit." Travis slipped off of the bed and disappeared into the kitchen…

* * *

Travis was as basic as the term could get, so it didn't take a world-ending decision for him to microwave the crew sausages from the fridge. They certainly weren't gourmet, but they would do justice for a few hungry souls. They were quick, tasty, and easy even for a complete moron to make. Travis had this in the bag.

He had also prepared an assortment of berries as a side, lined up for this special occasion as his fridge was already packed to the brim with them, courtesy to his grandparents. " _ **You could never have too many berries,**_ " his grandma would say, and this now they would finally be given a true use.

Picking mostly oran and sitrus berries was his best decision with the present situation, but he had also slid a few pinap berries on Zia's plate. Travis had also favored these berries, truth be told, but he doubted Zia gave a flying fuck about what he liked. This still didn't keep him from wanting the twins to feel at home, and the poochyena would get _very_ familiar with this house given how crippled she was, so he could at least try aiming for her pity.

Travis couldn't help himself from chuckling, aware of his naivety and curiosity getting the better of his judgment, he could even admit to himself that he was awkwardly smitten with that pooch. There wasn't a clue as to why he felt this way, but he figured that he would fit into that group of folk that just adore any kind of company. That made two in this household that were probably nuts…

While the young lad was doing his thing, Everest nudged Zia carefully with a paw, taking care to avoid any of her many bandages. Zia bolted up from her slumber and snapped her head left and right with a snarl the moment she was touched, and Everest wasn't surprised to smell her body reeking of stress sweat. The poochyena's legs shook as if they would break under her, and she quickly kneeled.

Zia still scanned the room, only to find Travis nowhere in sight. She grumbled something, mentioning someone with a knife before wobbling toward the door and sticking her head out. Coast seemed to be clear, and Zia sat once more with a sigh. She was sure to open her muzzle and rant about Travis being out to get them, but a quick embrace from Everest was enough to keep her quiet.

"No worries, you're awake. Let's get something to eat, Travis is cooking for us and you need it more than I do." Zia only snorted before turning her nose. Was this the reason that she awoke from her "wonderful" nap? Just to hear that damn human's name, with the implied hint that he was still breathing.

It was 'Travis this. Travis that,' for the past two days, and that name drove Zia up the wall only to continue its chase. She stomped back to the pair of jeans that she claimed as her bed and clawed at them. She looked determined to remain there, but she winced when her stomach growled louder than any canine pokemon.

"You say that now, buuuut…" Everest sneered, mimicking the motion of flapping lips with her paws. Zia's nostrils fumed as she growled beneath her breath.

"You speak of this to no one," she whispered before stumbling around her sister and into the hallway, too respectful to the vee to shove like most angry siblings. It was something that Everest could smile for.

With Everest following, the twins made it to the living room where they had picked up Travis's scent along with something else that was capable of lifting their noses to high heaven. It was the most delectable scent that they had experienced in a while.

"Heh, glad you could make it, ladies. Would you like to join me?" Travis's voice was the opposite of smooth, and the sound of it alone was enough to make Zia shoot a nasty glare his way, making it clear that she was here for the food and not to hear his cheesy lines.

Both of their plates were on the couch next to Travis, with Everest's seat apparently between the three of them. Little napkins next to the plates had the name of whoever they belonged to crudely written in thick ink. Though the setup was odd to Everest, she smiled and stepped forward with divine grace in her steps.

"Why thank you, sir! I would be glad to join you." Her voice had a more emphasized elegant tone that was enough to make Zia cringe. The trotted past her sister and hopping to her spot on the couch, patting her paws like a much-pampered house dog.

Her mouth watered as she gazed that the crisp sausages sprinkled on her plate. Even as a mediocre brunch, when was the last time she even had a meal that looked this good? The berries were only an added dessert, something that had always seemed out of reach for her.

Everest dug in with no further hesitation as the poochyena remained a safe distance. Though she had been eyeing the plate that belonged to her, her attention was primarily focused on the couch of all things. Pokemon were not supposed to be on the couch. What is this trick that he wants to pull? Those pinap berries were the worst part, actually drawing Zia into the trap, oh that sly dog.

Why would the human even bother being _this_ nice to her? What did she do to deserve it? The game of charades was quickly getting stale.

Travis locked his muscles while Everest devoured her food, Zia was coming. Each step she took was slow, yet her claws threatened to break through the wood with the pressure that she applied. She stopped in front of the plate, in front of the couch, where her sister was enjoying her meal and the human stared her down. Her paw raised, claws spreading as she finally reached for her plate…

_**SMAAAASH!** _

Berries and sausages were sent flying in chunks before hitting smack-dab on the floor, the plate soon doing much of the same. Everest yanked herself from her plate to find Travis terrified, following with Zia's grumpy face that glared him down. Should have seen it come sooner…

"I prefer to eat like an animal. It's what I am, after all," the pooch spat before eating off of the floor like someone that was homeless. Her chews were slow and sloppy, soon even smaller food chunks flicked to the ground like flies after a spray of Raid. The only thing that the pooch didn't sacrifice were her precious pinap berries.

The poochyena smirked when she heard Travis's groan, watching with savory delight as he brought his hands over his face. Mom was not going to be happy to come home from work and see this mess, and it was nobody's fault but his own at the core. A tiny paw rested on his back, but Everest's presence could barely come through to Travis at that moment.

His teeth were gritted behind those hands, but Travis dare not show any further sign of his inner struggle. _What will it take to get her to understand? Did those bastards really make her_ _ **this**_ _hateful…?_ He groaned once more.

"I'll clean it.." he grumbled, Zia not bothering to bat a single lash in his direction as Everest remained with bated breath, her lips not moving after that. It wouldn't do any good to say anything now. She could only hope that Travis could continue to keep that cool…

* * *

He might have been no good at counseling, but Travis knew how to get the floor sparkly clean before there could be more of a mess. Thank whatever god there was that his mother had replaced that carpet with a nice and leveled wooden floor. Travis had preferred that carpet before today.

Zia had long since retreated into Travis's room, which could arguably be considered her own since Travis had no control over her, and her sister had followed behind her slowly but surely.

The front door creaked as someone had opened it, and Travis looked toward the foyer where his mother strolled into the house with her pochette in tow. It was safe to say that Travis definitely got some looks from her. She loved to keep her hair in a braided ponytail and adored her work dresses, but Travis always knew her for having an angel's voice and a smile that made him feel safe.

"G'evening, Travis! Glad to see that you're holding the mop for once." The melodious chirp of her voice brought back Travis's smile.

"Heh. I'm glad to see you too, ma, but no problem." He leaned the mop against the wall. "I meant to bring this up, but is it okay if two pokemon stayed with us for a while, just until they get better. I met them on my way back and told them that they could, but I should have told you that sooner…" He gave a pathetic grin as Mother gave a thoughtful expression.

"I see no reason to turn you down, Travis. I knew that you would do something like this someday, just make sure to introduce me to them soon. I'm sure they'll have plenty of nice things to say about you," she answered before walking past him. There was no way he could just _not_ tell her not to expect, and that is what made Travis fearful.

"That's the thing… The eevee, she likes me at least. We agree on most things and get along pretty good, but the poochyena isn't that fond of me… Can't say she's in the mood for meeting anyone…" _I just don't say anything about those outbursts, and it should be all good…_ Mother's expression was still the same.

"You know that I used to have pokemon of my own too, so having one that doesn't like you isn't unheard of. You've been doing a nice job of settling your differences though."

_Not really…_

"Either way, you're my son. You're too likable for someone to hate you forever. I trust that you'll have _two_ lovely girlfriends eventually-" Travis found himself choking on the air and his head shrunk into his tee.

"M-Mom! I'm not into dating more than one person…" Travis huffed before his eyes shot open. "And I'm certainly not into pokemon either! It's just… I..." Travis shielded his face as he started to trip over his words. What was a finished sentence to him when he was embarrassed that badly by his mother? He settled for shutting his mouth, as long as no one was there to listen to his mom's giggling fit. This new lifestyle was proving not so ideal.

"At least I know that you'll treat that one well, just don't do anything hasty... You could never be too careful when it comes to your...hmm…" She continued in a whisper, and every dozen words she spoke made Travis's skin a tad paler. Anyone would be mortified to hear that kind of speech from their parents.

" **MOM!** "

Zia's face scrunched when his mother went into a little too much detail about how he should _protect_ himself against the threats of the horrid, spine-chilling wild female mammal. Hiding in the bend of the hallway turned out to not be in the pooch's favor, disgusted at the mention of Travis's...thing.

Who in their right mind would even think about mating with this human that was plaguing her life? She knew what kind of person he truly was, as she had been through this same cycle time and time again. How could his mother even _suggest_ that she would find an attraction to someone like him? He was a repulsive one, even for human standards. But while he may have been out for her, he hadn't the foggiest clue of what was coming to. All she needed to do was get under his skin, do something that would show his true nature and then Everest would see exactly what she was talking about. It was a chance to redeem herself.

 _Sleep well, damn human… I'll make sure I leave one way or another, and I will expose you. I'm not doing this again. I don't need another Zachary._ Zia slumped back into the room, brows furrowed in an attempt to hide her reddened eyes. The cold breeze from the fan did anything but welcome her, it felt all too familiar. That sadness, fear, regret, all of it was coming back with the wind, now stronger than ever before.

Then there was the love.

It was all dead to her...


	4. Serving It Zia's Way

Zia remembered those days where she had been a younger pooch, hidden from the world along with its people, but she didn't complain until the day that she found the dark side to her first friend.

There were so many lies and constant regrets that came out of this "friendship" for the poochyena to count. The pain of that backstabbing made her want to maul the first thing she had seen, but who would care about what an ill-favored, mindless, and feeble mutt thought? Especially when she had no sentient feelings according to humans? This was the way things were meant to be, and every human she met was the same. Travis would be no exception.

_Just another Zachary…_

A terrible draft crawled over Travis's skin when he awoke that morning, and noticing the ceiling fan made him squirm. Despite wearing pajamas, the boy felt naked upon noticing that his blanket had been torn through. Who had been eating his fleece?

Travis sat up to pull the wool out of his hair, his eyes darting bark as forth in search of the fiend.

Everest snoozed in the same spot that he told her goodnight, right at the young man's feet within her blanket. He would have given Zia a blanket as well, but he feared she wouldn't take too kindly to his gesture, and… _Zia._

Finding Zia's glare felt as if a pokemon bit into him with an ice-fang to make his blood thin. Her grin made it all the more chilling, still sitting atop his pair of jeans like her throne. Pieces of wool were kebabbed onto her teeth, but Travis's muscles remained locked as if it were a practice.

Everest lifted her head and looked between the two, bringing a quick smile to the disturbed dude. A wide, but brief smile was to come from the shiny vee, but the smile hadn't lasted long. Her eyes were on Travis's sheets, and Zia's teeth wore the pieces of fleece as trophies. Everest had bit her lip, but Travis kept his smile.

"Morning, Everest… Uh. Would you mind doing me a solid? Nothing bad, promise." The eevee still frowned at the statement.

During the one day that she had stayed, Everest had grown fond of being part of a household. The promised good meals, soft bed, and bonus privacy were much better than anything the Goldenrod brothel or the wild can offer. Being just thrown out was not an option.

"What do you need?" Her smile steadily came around after asking this.

"Do you think that you and Zia could hang out in this other room? The one right next to mine." Travis pointed toward the hallway.

The poochyena's gaze narrowed at Travis. Did she not have a good enough input to give? _Why do I even care again…? Idiot. He must be aware of who's really in control._

She gave them her backside to look at the moment they turned toward her. Zia was boiling, and it was becoming difficult to stop herself from flexing her claws. It was either wait until her wounds were healed, or cause enough chaos to make Travis lose his shit. One of those options was much more favorable to her…

"I just need to take care of something. Nothing much to look at in that room so don't worry about anything… I would have given you guys the room to make things...more bearable," said Travis, and Everest nodded before he continued. "Mom has plans for renovating it though. I'm not sure as for what, but this just seems like a decent idea until I get done with things. Is that alright with you?"

"No prob, T! We'll try to keep out of trouble."

Everest hopped from the bed with a swimmer's grace before stepping carefully to Zia, who grunted when the eevee nudged her. The poochyena stood with a softer glance toward her sister before they left the room. A vicious glare from Zia shot back to Travis before they entered the spare room and closed the door behind them, leaving it slightly ajar.

With the twins finally out of his hair, Travis scanned the room with a pensive glance. The cracked dressers, the broken television, the torn curtains that let too much sunlight in the room, and his beloved Wii…

He eventually whipped out his PokeNav, which thankfully had not been in the open when Zia went into her fit. It was time to make a phone call…

* * *

After a knock was heard from the front door, Travis took the duty of answering it, now out of his jammies and into some proper clothes for the expected company. He opened the door after carefully undoing the locks, and was greeted by another lad that was about his age.

The duffle bag that this guy carried had enough bumps to fool someone into thinking it was full of weaponry, and he appeared a tad out of breath as he hoisted it. This didn't keep him from pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and he still had the strength to smile. With the hoodie that he always wore in the blistering heat, Travis could never mistake his cousin.

"Brendan! Glad you could make it!"

Travis lightly slapped him on his shoulder, resulting in him stumbling toward the wall. That bag truly carried the majority of his weight. "Oops, sorry," he told him with a grin. "Come on."

The teens ventured toward Travis's room, where a tech-savvy dude like Brendan was sure to come in handy. Brendan was often quiet and preferred to stay out of the way, but Travis usually trusted him to help out with whatever mess he had gotten himself into.

"Good thing I planned on coming over here. Dad's still at work and mom just left. Nothing is in the fridge, as expected. After we get this stuff fixed, we could hook up the game and chill." Brendan said before finally stepping into the room, where his jaw dropped at the sight. It was nothing less than stupendous.

"...Look, Travis? I'm going to help you out, but...you've _gotta_ tell me what happened."

"Heh…" Travis chuckled as Brendan dropped his bag to get his toolkit. "I've got a _long_ story to tell you, well, maybe not that long, actually. You just won't believe it…" His voice dropped to a whisper as he started to explain his situation.

While listening to his cousin, Brendan worked on fixing the broken television. Hopefully a certain poochy would try to mind her own business…

That certain poochyena, meanwhile, was grinding her fangs as she kept her ear pressed against the wall, cringing at the memories of the past few days as she heard them come and go. Everest sat behind her with a suspicious glance.

"Um, Zia…They've been done with that conversation for a while now. Do you have to keep listening to them?" Everest's brows furrowed as she realized that she would get no good response.

"Yes, I do. That human's planning something, and I'm sure of it now since he has an accomplice. He needs to be watched, " growled Zia.

Everest frowned as she noticed where this pooch's attention was locked. She hadn't much choice but to hear everything as well, given how keen her ears were, but she knew that Zia wasn't focused on this Brendan character at all.

"I'll never trust a human as sleazy as him..." The poochyena trailed into a rant of mumbles and swears.

"Zia, why have you always been referring to Travis and not any of the other humans around us? We haven't even met the guy that's with him, yet you ignore him like he isn't there. You don't even give his mother the looks that you do to him..."

Zia scowled as she looked toward the eevee.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're hell-bent on driving Travis nuts, and I think you may somehow believe he's trying to do the same to you. You focus on him and no one else," she explained. The pooch only turned toward the wall.

_...Why_ _ **do**_ _I care about what he does…?_

"Travis hasn't done anything to us since we got here… In fact, I think that you don't hate _him_ at all either. You're just trying to get his attention, or it's something else that bothers you..." Everest continued with flattened ears, and her sister soon scoffed with a devilish smirk.

"Perish the thought, I can show you that I mean business. He will hate me by the time I'm through with him, and then you'll finally see what I mean."

Zia swung the door open, the revolving barrier slamming against the wall before she stormed out of the room. She was a pitch-black and gray cloud that was full of spite, and her fur was pricked like the feeling of a thundershock. Zia truly was the coming storm.

Everest didn't want to intervene, knowing that poochyena wouldn't lay a claw on Travis without enough incentive, but she didn't expect her to be calling a bluff either…

It had been almost an hour since Brendan and Travis began their repairs to the room. That broken television was one of the biggest issues, but it was no large feat for Brendan to fix, and now it had a completely replaced screen.

With the damage his poochyena had made to it, Brendan remarked that he had the bare minimum available to work with his Wii, which was currently under its mending.

Brendan couldn't think about the events that led his cousin into this mess. The fact that this poochyena didn't assassinate anyone was even more interesting news, at least from what he heard.

Perhaps she wasn't so bad.

Travis was finishing his sweeping of everything that was unsalvageable. With the clothes put away and the sheets replaced, his room was just about sparkly-clean. This feat well deserved a high five!

"Hope that I'm not interrupting anything important," announced a most unwelcome guest.

Zia's smug expression was unmistakable, and she strutted into Travis's room as if it were her own, and he loured at her. Her gaze hovered over the room for any tool that she could use. Anything would do.

The young man with the glasses had something interesting in the form of an electronic device sitting before his feet. Humans often relied on these things for their entertainment, and as her wicked grin grew, Zia thought that this thing could be a good time for her as well.

"Hey, what is this?" Her eyes stared at the battered Wii as if she were hypnotized by it. She favored the wires, how they helped to make the thing work, not to mention how unscathed they looked. Travis gritted his teeth as she advanced toward his possession.

She took her final step, stabbing the wires with her claws before grinding them into the floor. Her paws shifted in a way that appeared to be a dance, tramping the broken console into twos and fours. "It's a shame that it isn't working," Zia chirped.

Travis slapped his face before letting himself fall onto his bed as Brendan readjusted his glasses, the sweat having allowed them to slip.

_How does he find this "somewhat cute"?_ Brendan couldn't find an answer.

Once the poochyena had finished with her tribal dance, she shot a smirk at Travis, who was too busy staring into the palms of his hands. She turned around and flicked her tail before she promptly left. All in a day's work.

Brendan stared upon the even more injured gaming console as the sunlight grew strong from outside of the window. His glasses gleamed with a dazzling white light, and he suddenly smirked. The nerd had an idea!

"I can still fix this! I'll just need a-"

"Don't bother yourself, because that thing is done. I'll just hope to get that new console during the holidays or something. Thanks, but I'll sweep it up in a bit," Travis groaned, and his cousin's glasses had immediately lost their gleam with his sigh. Now Everest had trotted inside, expecting the worst.

"What happened here…?" Everest had caught the less than happy expression under Travis's hands, but she desperately hoped that he was only fatigued, but then she noticed the new face. Brendan's expression was in awe and above.

The eevee's glance spoke her curiosity, but she smiled all the same.

"Whoa, Trav, you never said anything about the eevee being _**shiny**_!" Brendan barked. Travis raised his head to look between the two.

Everest nodded politely to the teen as he pushed up his glasses with a sharp chuckle. "Hello, name's Everest!" The fox gave a graceful bow with her greeting.

Brendan asked himself as he grinned, _Why isn't_ _ **she**_ _the one Travis is interested in?_

"May I ask yours?"

"My n-name's Brendan," he stuttered, allowing Travis to beam with a grin. If there was something that his cousin was thinking, he knew it was most likely " _She is cute!"_ That didn't just mean adorable either.

Travis didn't question whatever his cousin was into. It was a surprise for Travis to notice that his cousin liked the idea of a relationship with a pokemon, but he knew Brendan would never harm anyone with his interests. So in the end, Travis wasn't worried.

"I'm Travis's cousin, n-nice to meet you."

The vixen giggled before looking at what was once a demolished television, now standing proper on the dresser where it was when she got here. It was as good as new.

"Oh. I suppose that's what he called you here for." She looked back at Brendan. "You gotta be smart to fix something like that so quickly. I didn't think that could be saved, but I'm amazed," praised Everest as Brendan's face went into a noticeable red, and he looked to the ceiling as he held in a chuckle.

"Heh, I guess you could say that," he replied, and hearing Travis's chuckles only made his hands even more sweaty. "I just do this for fun, it isn't super interesting anyway… What's more interesting than my life is one of a silver eevee. You have a clever name, but do you ever think about changing it if you evolve? Because I don't think any eeveelutions would match it now."

Everest was silent for a few seconds before shrugging, and she soon sat. "I'll keep my name regardless, but I wasn't sure about what evolution I want… It's just…"

Brendan and Everest eventually were going back in forth with their conversation, something that served to give Travis his best smile all morning. A whiff of Sunday breakfast sizzling in the kitchen only made him even more optimistic.

With his internal GPS locked onto the kitchen, Travis bounced out of bed and marched out of his room in hopes of greeting his mother. His day was finally starting to turn around.

Coming around the hallway's bend, he could see that his mother was frying some morning steak at the stove. Travis would have grinned, but something next to his mother's feet made all of his muscles clench, and this something was within a dangerous distance.

Zia and his mother were having a decent, mature adult conversation! What it was about didn't concern Travis, but considering that poochyena's sour attitude, he had plenty of reason to be terrified of the sight. She could have snapped her up at any time and there was no way he thought he could put up a decent fight to stop her.

_What is she trying to do here…? She didn't attack her… yet._

"I always make this, so trust me when I say it isn't anything special, dear. There's enough for everyone, so I wouldn't dare forget your share, Zia," Mother said in her usual chipper tone, clearly ignoring Travis's warnings from the night before.

_Why are they talking so casually? Does that Zia just change her mind about everything to make me look crazy?_ Travis sighed. _She hated humans a day ago and now she seems polite to everyone but me. Weirdo…_

The poochyena watched the lady flip the two steaks on her pan before she allowed them to sit for a little longer. She was impressed and admitted that this mother had some skills, even if the pooch had nothing to compare it to.

"I'm curious, however. I wasn't expecting the casual human breakfast to have steak involved. I imagined it was sausage and bacon, though I wouldn't have a clue for myself."

His mother hummed as she turned off the heat to the stove and set the pan to the side before looking at the pooch. "That's how it used to be around here. I cook steak now because it's my son's favorite meat, and he'll eat anything if steak is involved." She giggled before she started to put away the dishes, Zia smiling fondly at her before turning to Travis, that smile soon fading into a glare that made the boy shiver.

His gaze shifted around the living room as an unaware mom prepared five plates. She took the liberty of adding some of everyone's favorite berries to the hearty harvest.

Zia must have informed his mom of her and her sister's favorite berries, because there were now two plates filled with juicy pinap berries. One was for Zia and another was for Travis, the boy imagined.

Swallowing his anxiety thanks to the aid of Sunday breakfast, Travis strolled toward the dining room table where his mother set the plates. It was always a joy to see her cooking, and the boy tried to put his mind on that to keep himself occupied.

The steak was always savory and juicy while the eggs were fried brilliantly with melted cheese that gave everyone who consumed them a warm feeling... and a need to use the restroom thirty minutes later. Then there was the toast, toasted to a nice, crispy brown that could only be better with butter and grandma's homemade jelly. Having his favorite berries to go with his meal only made it all the better.

And all Travis had to do was grab his plate!

Once he was done daydreaming however, he found his plate of food crashing to the floor thanks to Zia's paw, 'accidentally' smacking it off of the table after climbing onto the chair.

Knowing exactly what she wanted to get at, Travis groaned, favoring another slap to his face. He didn't expect to find out why she was doing this to him anytime soon, but he knew through his clenched fist that his anger got the better of him.

Zia was winning.

The poochyena hopped from the chair once the deed was done, her ears flattening as she frowned at him. No one could see that the frown turned into a grin for a split second. It was only becoming a guilty pleasure.

"Oh. I spilled all of your food, darn… That steak was your favorite food too, wasn't it…? Are you going to hit me...?" The words were enough to make Travis blink before staring at the pooch with a blank expression.

Having finished with the dishes, Mother turned to look at the two with a raised brow. Ignoring the looks from the humans, Zia maintained her frown long enough to walk past Travis and disappear into the hallway with a muttered "...sorry."

Travis's mother gave him a skeptical look. "Travis. You don't hit that poochyena, do you…?" The boy's mouth dropped at the interrogation.

"What!? Mom, no! Why would I do that? I don't even know why she said that at all…" Travis explained as if he pleaded for his own life, slumping against the nearest wall as a headache took over. His mother took a breather.

"I'm sorry for accusing, Travis, I suppose that I'm just worried too. You don't know anyone's story when you talk to them, so I hope that you can be strong for her… Help yourself to the fridge, I'll need to get shopping done tomorrow." Mother soon grabbed her plate before going into her room, and she closed the door to leave her son on his own.

This would be a _very_ long week, and the boy had plenty of reason to hope that it would last no longer than that.

With his appetite gone after cleaning the floor, Travis slumped toward his room in hopes of getting some blissful silence, little did he know the sound of a flushing toilet would be the start of yet another issue.

Zia trotted out of the bathroom as he walked down the hallway, and she sported that grin that she had held in before. "I've made a mess in there, do forgive me," was all she said before walking back into Travis's room, and her adversary found out what she meant when toilet water puddled around his feet.

Good thing that water wasn't _used_. She played dirty, but at least she wasn't disgusting. It would be time for a shower after this one, without a doubt…

* * *

After cleaning the bathroom and getting a well-deserved shower, Travis walked back to his room feeling only slightly refreshed. Zia was back at her spot in the corner, taking the pair of jeans that she slept on out of Travis's hamper and using them as her bedding once more. He was hoping that she'd use the sheet that was laid out for her, but that was tossed across the room.

He said nothing.

Everest and Brendan were still chatting amongst themselves, and it was easy to tell that both of them had eaten their breakfast, as there was a lone chunk of bacon sticking on Brendan's cheek.

The two were talking about whatever game Brendan was playing on his 3DS, and Brendan paid more attention to Everest than the game itself which was a rare sight that Travis could smile at. Everest eventually flicked that piece of bacon off of Brendan's cheek without stopping their conversation.

That guy would most definitely be getting teased later.

Travis walked to his desk while pulling out a key from his pocket, using it to unlock one of his drawers before grabbing a small book. Upon opening it, he could see everything that he had written about yesterday's events.

" _ **Hey, ol' Journal,**_ "

" _ **Today was weird in more ways than one, some good, and most not so much. Turns out that everyone finally found out what was causing these pokemon disappearances and I met two rare pokemon for myself. One was a shiny eevee named Everest, another being a poochyena named Zia, they're twins. There's a lot that I didn't know about them… Even now, I can't say that I know everything yet.**_ "

" _ **Need to work on keeping my entries short, so… Time to work on that. Everest was a sweetheart, was nice and understanding to me since we met, more so than her sister, though I wouldn't call her out on it. These two had a tough life. Everest wants to look out for her sister, who gives her enough stress as she does herself, it seems. I want to say that Zia is nice somewhere, her saving grace being that she seems against attacking mom and me. I don't know, I want to like her, and I feel protective of her still, despite our attitude with each other. She has a reason, I guess, but I rather that she get over it so we can maybe start fresh. She needs to decide for herself, but it can't get any worse.**_ "

" _ **T- XX/XX/2016**_ "

Travis barely recalled writing any of this last night, but he at least remembered that he got up in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep to do it. No wonder it was such a blur.

He wasn't a novelist, but Travis wanted to keep a diary of his daily life, and news nowadays gave him much more incentive to keep writing. With a hum, he flipped the page and started to write.

" _ **What's up, Journal,**_ "

" _ **You didn't know how wrong I was. After the mess that Zia made yesterday, I had to call Brendan. She was freaking out, and I wanted to side with her, but she treats me like a butt. She left the toilet running, robbed me of my food, and suggested I would hit her. Everyone would think I'm insane to want to help this dog, but I'm crazier for thinking that there's more to her. I still think that Zia's just in the wrong direction, and maybe she did something that she regrets. I shouldn't try to guess that, nor should I think tomorrow would be better, but it might be a little too early to say. Possible update later today.**_ "

Travis left the second half of the page blank before putting his arms on the table. It was mighty early for him to be writing, but Zia started issues in the day and night, and she didn't seem to mind filling up his pages.

Everest and Brendan focused on Travis, who slouched over his desk after he finished his mad scribbling.

The eevee stood up and walked to his desk, seeing that there was a free space. She pounced onto the counter and tried to look at his face, only to get a sudden shout from Travis before he slammed his notepad shut. The motion sent his key flying behind his bed, and it was unknown if anyone had noticed it. Zia ignored the commotion, as the pooch was still sound asleep.

"What's the problem?"

"H-Hi, Everest, it's nothing. I'm fine, promise," he fibbed, forcing a smile that Everest was none too convinced by. In the end, though, she couldn't do much besides believe him.

She had smiled briefly, but quickly lost it when she looked between Travis and her twin. He hummed at her glance. "Yes, it's rough, and it probably will be for a long time but I won't let her get under my skin, you can count on that," he said with a smirk.

"You know, Travis, you're a strong guy. You've got more patience than anyone I've met, not...like that means _that_ much because...you know…"

Both of them looked at Brendan, who gave a puzzled look before Everest turned back to Travis. "You're the type of human that Zia needs in her life, she just doesn't see it. Maybe she does. She's hard to figure out, but you know what I mean…"

She nuzzled her cheek against Travis's own, making him cheese a grin as he chuckled.

He wanted to tell the fox that Zia _was_ getting to him, especially after the incident that involved his mother. Seeing that genuine smile that Everest gave, though, reminded him that she was one of the reasons he kept his waning faith in Zia. It was unlikely that she would ever come around, that Travis could see a real smile on her face, but a man could still dream.

"She doesn't bother your cousin or your mom like she does with you, and I noticed that earlier. So focused on you, and I have no idea why." So it was true…

Travis's cheek slumped into his hand. _I guess she only hates me if that's the case…_

Looking to the sleeping pooch, Travis noticed that Zia would twitch and shiver occasionally during her snores. What Everest told him could have meant something else, and Travis was hoping for that, but he was still bothered.

_She never went too low with me though. She could have murdered me, torn my limbs off, or just trip me but she was always indirect. I'm insane for going through with this, but she still never harmed me at all. Only one question comes to mind…_

_Why didn't she?_


	5. Throwing the Gauntlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, just gonna add a little note. As readers of the old version may know, the story takes a bit of a turn here, and people have varying opinions on it. Nothing bad, but I want to apologize in advance if this disorientates anyone. Besides that, I hope you continue to enjoy this story!

As evening came to Olivine City, Brendan decided to return home so he could prepare for his class, and almost everyone could agree that their time together was too short. This especially went for Everest, who always enjoyed a good person's company.

Travis was helping his mother with a few chores in the sty they called their garage. It would be an uncomfortable task with how his sweaty clothes held him down from the humidity, and he would be a while. Everest and Zia were meanwhile left to their own devices inside Travis's room.

Zia was focused on her sister, who hummed to herself as she rolled on the bed without heed. Lost in the clouds, that eevee was. That goofy smile of hers had said enough. The poochyena sharply exhaled.

"I don't know how you could talk to that human at all, much less as long as you have," said Zia, furrowing her brows as Everest gave her a bewildered expression.

"His name's Brendan, and he was too nice for me to ignore him as you would. I'd say he's harmless, even." Everest smiled. A snort from Zia came in response.

"Well I don't believe that Travis should be trusted, and the same goes for any of his associates."

Everest frowned. "There you go again, pointing out Travis when he wasn't even in this conversation. Why do you bite his tail more than others? I understand your dislike of humans, but at this point, it's almost as if you're thinking…" Everest paused as Zia stared at her with widened eyes. Her muscles had tensed.

The vee's ears flattened as she felt herself become nearly as tense. She narrowed her gaze. "Hey… You… You aren't thinking of _him_ again, are you…? Please don't say that you are…"

There wasn't any denying the answer to this question, as Zia pursed her lips the moment Everest came close to that assumption. _What could she be seeing between Travis and Zachary…?_ she thought.

As Zia shook with the passing seconds, and her eyes were alight with something Everest could only describe as malicious intent. It seemed to be short-lived, as the pooch's eyes reddened with her tears.

"Zia… I'm sorry, but you-"

"SHUT! UP!" she hissed, stomping toward Everest who instantly sat up. "I HATE THOSE DAMN HUMANS, EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM AND THAT'S THE WAY IT NEEDS TO STAY! I DON'T NEED TO TRUST THEM AGAIN!"

Everest recovered from her wincing as the poochyena slouched into her usual corner, and her grizzling was soon to follow. She had been trembling through every word she had screamed.

_I don't want to be like this… God, I fucking hate them…_

Zia once trusted someone with her life to only be betrayed when either of them made a mistake, and Everest couldn't blame her for what she was experiencing. What was going on now only seemed like a way to start that past cycle all over again…

* * *

Travis muddled in his thoughts as he carried the corroded microwave that sat in their garage since no one knew when. The strain that wore his muscles meant nothing to him, as there were plenty of questions to keep his conscious occupied.

_Zia's got something against me, yet she isn't after blood… What's she getting from this, and why did she say that I would hit her…? Maybe she was trying to get me into a fight with Mom, but…_ Travis grumbled. He was often the guy with ideas, someone that usually had a solution for everything, but this time he was completely lost.

He dropped the bulky microwave on the curb of the yard and took a breather as he watched the pieces of the old thing break apart on its impact. His mother skipped from behind him and grinned.

"Thanks a bunch, honey!" she chirped before hugging Travis, who faced her with a smile of his own. He returned her affection with another hug, but his face straightened as those previous questions made him unable to maintain a firm hold for long.

Travis's mother pulled herself away and placed her hands on her son's shoulders before she stared into his eyes. Travis forced himself to smile again as a chilly feeling made him numb.

"...What's wrong?" she asked.

Travis's gaze fell to his feet as his muscles tensed. Under common circumstances, he thought he should always be truthful to his mother. Despite all the wrong that Zia had done to him though, Travis didn't want to say that his situation with her was only getting progressively worse and have her be kicked out or something more extreme.

_I don't know why I even care this much. Man, I've gotta work on that._ Travis placed his hands into his pockets. "I guess I'm just… hungry."

His mother responded with a giggle as her hands wrapped around her hips. "Oh is that it? We can stop for now and I'll get started on dinner!" she announced before kissing him on the head and heading into the house.

Ignoring his embarrassment of the neighborhood kids snickering from across the street, Travis eventually traveled back into the garage to close everything up.

Travis had figured it best to get his mind off of anything that had to do with Zia once he got inside the house. He saw that his mother was already busy prepping in the kitchen, and as he prepared to go into the hall, he was greeted by his friendly silver fox. What could she have needed?

"Hi, Everest," said Travis. "You doing alright in here?"

Everest nodded, though the smile she gave him didn't last long. "That would depend on what you consider 'alright'... Zia's been, well… Let's just say she's probably more temperamental than usual. I expected her to cause some trouble but she hasn't done anything yet. She's just... quiet, besides her occasional crying. I have my suspicions, but…" Everest stopped and shook her head.

Travis frowned as a hard lump formed in his throat, and that fear this gave him was made worse when he noticed that Everest would say nothing more. He thought it was a solid plan to keep watching his back in the house, but he was still telling himself to keep some faith in the pooch.

There was no reason that Zia should have been crying, especially considering that she was winning this "war" against Travis, and even enjoyed putting him through a mental hell as long as he kept her here. The mystery of what was going through her head was only becoming more complex, and everything could go uphill or drop straight down. It'd be a fantasy to assume the former.

"I'm gonna be out here for a moment. Let me know if something happens, okay?" asked Everest.

"Sure. Mom's getting dinner started, and we usually eat together on Sunday's, so… yeah. Be ready for that. I'm sure she'll try to include you two."

After receiving a confirming nod from Everest, Travis walked toward his room and soon stopped in front of the door. _Just what am I supposed to expect here…?_

Travis took a breath and finally entered the room with bated breath. He noticed that Zia was still keeping to herself in the corner, the poochyena gazing into the wall and didn't shift with his presence. Either she was ignoring him or was too lost to notice him, but Travis sided with his first guess.

Something in him made him want to reach out and speak to her, but he shut his lips when the idea came to mind and looked away. His desk was the next thing in his sight, and he almost jumped from seeing it.

_Why is my drawer open..?_ He rushed toward the dresser and looked into the top drawer, finding his diary tucked away inside. _Did someone read it? Crap, it's the only drawer I lock…_

He vaguely remembered his key flying behind the bed when Everest surprised him earlier, and when he found it he remembered tossing it into one of the other two drawers of the desk. Looking back, that wasn't the smartest thing to do, but Travis convinced himself that he forgot to lock the drawer in his rush of finding the key in the first place.

His eyes scanned across the other few drawers and he grimaced slightly, knowing what was the contents that were inside both of them. He tried his luck and opened the bottom drawer, finding the key over a familiar frame. Quickly grabbing the key and slamming that drawer, he locked the first before putting his key into his pocket, wincing as its edge jabbed into his side. He adjusted his pants.

_I need to get a new one… That thing is sharp._

Travis hopped on his bed to lay down, his sight coming back to Zia, who had yet to budge. _How does Everest do it? I sometimes expect her to snap with how little they seem to get along. Then again…_ Travis hummed to himself as he saw Everest come down the hall. _I suppose I don't know what it's like to have siblings anymore…_

Zia was the first thing in the eevee's sight as she walked in, and she walked toward her before the two exchanged some words outside of Travis's hearing. He frowned as he noticed Everest step closer, the poochyena shaking her head in response and not meeting her gaze. It was a surprise to see Zia allowed Everest to bring her into a hug.

_It feels like I've known these two a while, even if I don't know a lot about them and it's been a few days. I suppose I'm just used to their company, but it feels like a taste of what I've been missing out on lately._

It has been a while since Travis shared his bed with someone. He was able to do his walks all on his own, and he didn't have to fight with anyone over chores or the television. Travis however, didn't hide behind a facade of indifference; he knew something felt empty as he thought of the frame in his drawer.

He admitted that his memory failed him in that regard, everything was blurry to him when he thought back on those memories. Everest and Zia could tell him a lot about what their sisterly life is like if Travis were closer to them, and his mother usually was too occupied with work to spend more time with him.

_Wonder what it would be like to have Casey around…? I kind of-_

He looked to his feet and shook his head. _I shouldn't be thinking about this anymore._ He hopped out of bed and grabbed some clothes to change into. It was time to get ready for dinner…

* * *

Travis's mother had finished her preparations for dinner about a half-hour later. The tension between the members made the air feel thick and humid as they joined the table. Everest wanted to be polite, so she couldn't deny his mother's offer… Of course, there was nothing wrong with more well-cooked and free food either.

Zia only joined because her sister forced her out of the room to eat something, but whatever reason she remained at the table was anyone's guess.

Travis and his mother sat next to each other on one side while Everest and Zia were together on the other. The sisters were taking some time to get adjusted to sitting in chairs, distracting themselves from the fact that Zia and Travis sat directly across one another. Their gazes have yet to meet, at least…

Ignoring the atmosphere, everyone agreed that the spread of food was the most scrumptious that any of them had seen in a while, even the person who cooked it. The scent of the pulled pork took over the air with a scent that no one could resist, and the sight of the savory meat was just as delightful.

Mother had also prepared sides of macaroni, steamed broccoli, and carrots, which most in Olivine would consider a traditional dinner if there were fried fish. While the sides weren't meant for her and her sister, Everest wanted to partake in some of the vegetables herself.

Zia stuck with just the pork, which was expected of a poochyena, but she hadn't said a word to confirm she was satisfied with this.

Not a sound was heard besides the spinning of the ceiling fan and the chewing of Travis's mother. Everest stiffened from seeing the others so quiet.

Zia was eating rather gracefully, in contrast to the usual gobbling that her sister would see. Her eyes were only on her plate as she took petty bites of her meal. Plenty of the extensive pork strands that got stuck in her teeth hid the meek frown she wore, and her expressionless look gave the impression that she was half asleep.

Holding her at gunpoint couldn't make her straighten her face. Everything felt… dried out, but at least no one made eye contact with her, so she appreciated that bit of respite. She wanted to get out of this situation without causing a scene, but that wouldn't be anytime soon if she could barely swallow her food.

Everest figured that she had to be the one to make this situation more bearable, as Travis's mother was too unaware of the turmoil between the three of them. On top of that, whenever she tried to make eye contact with Travis, he stuffed his face and looked away. She sighed.

"Sooo," the fox spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. "...how's everyone's day been?" She smiled before Travis and Zia's eyes went back to their plates. Mother was the only one to smile back.

"Well, my day had been as good as it was interesting!"

Travis's fork jabbed into his veggies before he'd scarf them down, thankful for not stabbing himself in the mouth as he did so. He questioned if he could help it for much longer, as everything about this situation felt flawed and awkward now.

There was something about seeing everyone here at the table, eating together, and trying to mend tensions… Travis's head fell into one of his hands as an image came to mind, and the voices at the table slowly waned into the wind before completely fading out.

Too many thoughts were on his mind, about his brother and his father, these were thoughts that he knew weren't good to think about. Travis tried to push the thoughts out of his head and came back to reality, but he still felt deaf to the world when he looked at everyone. It was almost as if the four of them were a family… Something he had lost a long while back.

Travis fell back in his chair as his stomach dropped, incapable of handling another bite of his leftover chunks. Everyone's eyes fell on him as he stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, but with a grunt, he eventually stood up while grabbing his plate.

Zia stared at Travis blankly as Everest and his mother both frowned with skepticism.

"All done here," was all he spat before going into the kitchen to toss his plate into the sink. He remained motionless afterward. "I'm going back to my room so I can work on something. I'll see you guys later."

His steps swift and his head held low, Travis soon disappeared into the hallway, leaving the three girls alone with each other. His mother had to admit that his sudden departure was odd because he didn't beg for seconds, but she convinced herself that her son had a good reason to leave so soon. Whatever the case, she had finished her plate as well so she wasn't too bothered, and this prompted her to stand.

"I should fetch the mail since you two are finishing too. Feel free to leave your plates on the table. Hope we can do this again before you leave!" said Mother before grabbing her keys from the nearby counter.

Everest hopped out of her chair with a hopeful smile. "I'd love to tag along! The fresh air would be nice, given I'm kinda used to it, heh…" While she did her darndest to keep her good mood for the others, sake, Zia was still the primary person on her mind.

_What is she thinking about?_

"That'd be great! Oh, and you can call me Maria by the way," said Travis's mother, snapping the vixen out of her thoughts before opening the front door and heading outside. After taking one last look at her sister, Everest reluctantly walked outside as well before Maria shut the door.

Finally left with silence as her only companion, Zia looked down at her plate. That mountain of pulled pork looked almost as intimidating as it did before when she barely touched anything. She forced herself to look away from the plate and hopped from her seat, soon leaving the table as she felt herself become ill…

* * *

Travis's muscles loosened and he took a breath as he finally escaped into his room, but his mind wasn't any less plagued with the memories that situation triggered. Another sigh went unheard as he slammed his rear on the bed, but the oversized cushion did nothing to relieve him as he sunk into its foam.

He couldn't stop himself from thinking about it now: what his family used to be and what it could have been now. One of those mistakes was preventable while another was a problem that no one had control of. The last problem was something he preferred not to talk about at all. Even years later, the memories were coming back to haunt him.

After a few minutes, Travis stood up and walked to his desk. He felt brave enough to open that bottom drawer and he finally pulled out that frame that he was suddenly so intent on avoiding, his fingers running over its cracks. He had a vague idea of why this thing bothered him, but he attempted to push past it as he looked at the picture within the frame, smeared with dusty brown stains at its edges.

He returned to the mattress, laying on his back as he held the picture above. His blank gaze focused on the four humans. Although they all felt like a shadow of the past one way or another, they stuck with each other like they were a family, and that's exactly what they once were.

Travis could easily pick himself out of the four in the picture, as he was only just over the age of a toddler. He probably wouldn't be able to tell if his mother didn't often comment on that goofy smile of his, but it sort of aged well, given that his smile was much of the same today.

There was a teenager that used Travis's head like an armrest in that photo who had a similar smile, even considering this other guy was sixteen years old at the time. With Travis's current age, the two of them could have been considered twins if this guy was a bit shorter with less muscle. Everest and Zia vaguely came to mind when Travis looked at him.

A grown man about twice the teenager's age had accompanied them. With a cheeky grin, he held an electrike in one of his arms while the other wrapped around a pregnant woman, who Travis knew as his mother.

He pushed the image of that man out of his head and focused on the young teenager instead, who Zia and Everest were reminding him of. Being at that table with them reminded him of what it was like to have a bigger family, to always be able to count on having someone around. There wasn't a day that went by without Travis thinking about how lonely his mother was. He often felt selfish to go on a walk and leave her here alone, especially when it was his walks that led to some of their problems.

He sat the frame on the bed's edge and stared at it with a frown.

It felt like rotten luck that Zia had walked inside and noticed Travis staring at his photo, though she had yet to show him any emotion. There was not even a glare or a sneer.

She took caution and inched toward the bed to examine the picture from her position. She could guess that it was a family photo with how many people looked related to Travis, and she could point out his mother as well, who was either pregnant or put on a few when the picture was taken.

The poochyena's mind was void of much thought, but she tried to ask herself why she cared to look at the photo in the first place. Travis's eyes fell on her, and he asked himself similar questions.

"That dude next to me is my brother, Casey... if you were wondering that is."

As Travis's disconsolate gaze connected with Zia's, the pooch stepped back. _Why is he looking at me like that…?_ Her muscles stiffened. _He knows that I don't care about him!_

Her heart raced, nearly pounding out of her chest with her breaths as she shivered from only that gaze. She knew from experience what looks like these led to, and her claws dug into the floor to anchor herself. It did nothing but make a mess of chipped wood, much like she was used to causing.

The pooch was deranged in Travis's eyes, and he watched as her own eyes dilated to the biggest pair that the boy had ever seen on a pokemon. Sweat had somehow soaked the entirety of her fur through her ragged breaths, and her legs shook like plucked guitar strings.

Travis backed away to the farthest reach of his bed and looked around for something that could protect him, but the worst happened when Zia used whatever strength she had to pounce on his bed.

The boy cringed into the corner as the insane pooch bared her fangs, paying no heed to her cramping torso. Zia's eyes weren't aimed at him, however, which Travis didn't notice until she snatched the frame into her jaws. Travis removed his pale hands from his face and crawled to her with haste as Zia snarled.

"H-Hey. Zia, what are you-"

Zia flinched with the sound of his voice but didn't stop herself from flinging the frame straight into the wall, silencing Travis with the sound of its clash. As shavings of glass shot around the room and the frame hit the ground with a harsh clack, Travis's arms no longer could support his weight without shaking the same as Zia's legs had.

The poochyena bounded from the bed, baring a dismayed gaze toward the broken frame despite her sense of relief, being alleviated from that gaze the human had given her. That sense of respite didn't help the longer that picture stand remained in her sight though, and a frown eventually creased her sealed lips.

She couldn't have felt guilty already, yet that only seemed to be the case as even she could feel a tension rising in the room. She was fully aware of what her actions were capable of, and being a pokemon that was once familiar with people; she considered herself cursed to be able to comprehend the feelings of human beings...

Zia was met with Travis's glare when she turned toward him. His teeth were gritted as a hissed echoed from behind them. Each tear that fell from his face came with another heave from his chest, and his digits curled into a fist around the sheets below. A sob eventually escaped his throat and his gaze dropped to the mattress he gripped, finally allowing himself to breathe.

As Travis's face remained hidden to her, Zia's forlorn gaze carefully watched and she found it impossible to smirk or snicker, nor could she move. It was a feeling that shot through her body and made her incapable of speaking. Any word that she could say from there was suddenly the wrong thing to say…

"Zia…"

Her muscles juddered upon hearing Travis's voice. His tears came in an endless stream, and he couldn't maintain eye contact with her no matter how much he tried. He finally shook his head.

"Just… go away, please. I do not want to see you."

The poochyena blinked at him and fell silent. She didn't know how to respond, but planned to ask the question that had been screaming in her head for two days straight. "Does this mean I can-"

"YES, YOU CAN FUCKING LEAVE! GET OUT OF THE GODDAMN HOUSE ALREADY. YOUR SHIT HAS GOTTEN STALE TO ME, ZIA, SO YOU'D BE DOING ME A FAVOR IF YOU GOT LOST!"

Zia shrank away from Travis's roar and tripped over her paws. Now she could move as much as she wanted, but it was a fearful decision that kept her from scampering away.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS, BUT I'VE DONE MY DAMN BEST TO GIVE YOU A HOME UNTIL YOU GOT BETTER! BUT FUCK ME, RIGHT? YOU ACT LIKE A CUNT AND TREAT ME LIKE _I'M_ THE ASSHOLE! JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE ALREADY, ZIA!"

Finally finished with his venomous speech, Travis took a breather before finally looking into Zia's eyes. The pooch stared at him with eyes still the size of tennis balls. Her muscles shook again, but this time, she didn't advance an inch toward him.

He froze and thought to himself. She wasn't reacting this way just because he finally told her off. Even she had to know how petty she could be, and that still wouldn't explain her shaking.

Did she… _fear_ him now…?

Travis's fists loosened before wiped his eyes to get a better look, giving Zia a remorseful gaze. Zia straightened herself the moment she had noticed this and turned away from him, forcing herself to lift her chin despite her flattened ears still giving her away.

"...Fine. Thought you'd never say it…" she mumbled.

Everest came down the hallway in a hurry as her poochyena sister silently passed. The eevee looked between the two with a disturbed frown. "What's going on? All I could hear was you screaming from outside…"

Though her question was meant for both Zia and Travis, she had just noticed that her sister was already gone. They were lucky that Maria's hearing wasn't nearly as good as Everest's, and the woman found herself trapped in a conversation with one of the neighbors that was going to last a _long_ while.

A sigh came from Travis before he rolled on his stomach, using his crossed arms as a pillow for his head. With flattened ears, Everest noticed the shattered frame on the floor and an image came to her mind about what could've happened, and that made her throat dry.

The frame was ruined now for sure, but the photo inside was luckily none too harmed if its creases were dismissed, but Travis wasn't bothered by the picture's current state. The display of hatred towards him, how she would go so low just to disrespect him... Whatever bite or claw marking she could give him didn't compare to this pain.

Everest picked up the frame between her more gentle jaws and carried it to Travis's bed, minding the broken glass that lay scattered around her feet. Travis rolled on his side as the vixen joined him on the bed.

"Who are they?"

"Don't worry about the man behind everyone, I guess. You already know my mom so I'm sure you can recognize her… The other kid there is my older bro, Casey. He's…" He took a breath. "...he's not around anymore. Got caught in the middle of a gang war trying to protect me... because I didn't listen to him and went somewhere I shouldn't have, that's all I'll say."

Everest gave a gentle, yet somewhat grieving look as another few tears shed down Travis's features.

"I usually get nothing but bad memories, and then it's only worse when I think about my little brother…" Travis pointed toward his pregnant mother in the picture. "I can't… I can't say I've met h-him. He wasn't even born…"

His head sunk into his hands before he took another breath, tearing up once more. Everest was still and looked down at her paws. But she decided to do the only thing that she could, and that was to embrace Travis in her tiny arms, as tightly as she could muster.

"Zia's gone too far this time," she snarled before hopping off of the bed and wiping the tears that crept on her cheeks. "I've got some words to say to that dog. How she treats you is unacceptable."

"...I'm not going to lie, Everest. I make some connections between you two and my brothers. I always thought you were a great big sister, taking responsibility for things even when it isn't your fault. You're mature, kind, and look out for everyone too. And Zia's just... energetic, I guess. With you two around I know what it's like now to have a little sibling. I still think she needs a push, but I might be thinking out loud from the headache…"

Everest frowned at the sound of Travis's chuckle. He knew that the vee didn't like him making light-weight out of this situation, but even a laugh couldn't make him stop thinking of what he might've done to her sister.

The poochyena's terrified expression was now permanently painted into the darkest reaches of his mind. A question came to mind as he thought back on it: Was it people like him that made Zia detest human beings?

He did just what he didn't want to do, something that went against his nature and now he was paying a price. Zia had a reason to hate him more than ever, at least that's what he told himself.

"Stop worrying about her, Travis. She's missing out on something great here and you know this might be for the better. Keep yourself in one piece. I'll get her mind right before I come back here…"

* * *

Zia hadn't much of a clue where to go in a city as large as Olivine, and her injured hips didn't do much to get her anywhere fast. She kept close to the more shady streets of the town, ducking between alleys whenever she spotted anyone, human or pokemon.

What happened fifteen minutes ago was stuck into Zia's consciousness. Travis had snapped at her in only two days and it didn't feel the way she expected it too. She was supposed to want this, and it was all planned from the beginning. For some reason, however, she had to force herself to not care.

"Ugh… I shouldn't fucking care at all! So what if he's sobbing over what I did? He deserved it for lying to Everest and me. Heh, he doesn't care either. Not after that event..." She forced a smirk. "Just think about if he came running back. He would be the most pathetic thing I have ever seen if he apologized for that."

She no longer had to see his face, and her old problems would be gone now that she had her freedom again. Nothing was stopping her from doing what she wanted to do.

Without many humans being outside now, it made walking around this city a tad more bearable for the pooch, but her muscles were tired after straining them to such a degree. She would never heal if she didn't take it easy, as the bandages that decorated her hips did little more than restrict her movement and made stressing herself even worse.

The bandages that… Travis wrapped her in to keep her from bleeding.

An alley behind the pokemart didn't seem like a bad crash spot to the pooch, completely quiet and barren of life. She leaned against the building's smooth walls that were blanketed by the shade. Her eyes were nearly closed before she caught a familiar scent, and she instantly shot up to find her sister coming to meet her.

"Zia." Her voice came in a snarl, making Zia jump. "I'm fucking pissed with you! Why would you do that to Travis!?"

The hyena averted her eyes as her head shrunk into her shoulders. A prideful remark couldn't pass her throat this time.

"Aren't you going to answer me? Why'd you do it!?"

"What's so special about a piece of paper…?" the pooch spat. Everest's snarl deepened before she walked toward her and lashed the poochyena with her tail.

Zia yelped and sat on her haunches, holding her blistering muzzle as she stared at Everest with incredulity. The vee bit her lip and stepped away as she watched Zia rub her nose, but she convinced herself that this is what Zia had coming.

"Evere-"

"Zia, I love you, but you're… such a fucking prick. Did you even know that one of the people in that picture you destroyed was his brother!? Did you know that he was murdered for looking out for the guy!? You have any idea what your action says about that?"

The poochyena removed her paws and solidified to her sister's words. That feeling from earlier was taking its effect on her again, and it pulled her limbs flat to the ground. She felt incapable of sitting straight and holding her weight, but Everest snorted at the sight.

"Travis lost his chance to have a little brother too, he died before birth! I know you saw that his mother was pregnant! Are you seeing the fucking connection here, Zia? You said 'Fuck your family, and fuck you too!', but you don't care..."

Zia's eyes had reddened as she forced herself to stare at the concrete where her tears started to fall upon. The pooch opened her mouth, but Everest pushed a paw into her chest before she could say anything, making her quickly shut her trap. Tears marked the eevee's cheeks as her voice softened.

"Travis was nice to us and treated us like we were family, but you treated him like dirt when he did nothing but look out for you and me… Zia…" Everest removed her paw and turned away from the poochyena, though still looked at her from the corner of her eye. "Nothing I can say will make it clear how fed up I am with you… Mom taught us better than to treat others like that, but I guess you just can't trust anyone, can you? Not even me anymore…"

Zia tried to reach for her sister, only to be met with another lash from the vee's tail that made her quickly withdraw her now blistering paw. Everest shook her head and walked away.

"You wanted to left alone so badly, and now you have exactly what you've wanted… I hope you're… See you later." Everest fled back into the streets, leaving her sister to watch before she cried out for her.

"E-Everest!" she howled and attempted to give chase, but she quickly stopped after the first few steps. Nothing she could say would make up for this, so what was the point?

Slumping against the nearest wall of the alley, the pooch covered her face with a paw, tears revealing themselves underneath.

"This… isn't what I wanted. I just wanted to be away from them. To protect Everest…"

What was it worth when even her sister wanted nothing to do with her? Her mind wanted her to believe that it was all Travis's doing, but she shook her head. "I'm through with blaming him, it truly has become a rotten thing to do. I've done it to myself… I've got to… Damn. Why the fuck am I like this!" she screamed to the rooftops, knowing that she wouldn't receive an answer.

Why was she blind to the truth until now when it was most inconvenient? At least she was by herself in this dampened passage, where she could sulk in peace.

Even considering that she didn't know that information beforehand, she knew that she shouldn't have done the crime. Travis was the most fragile that she had seen of any human being. She started to realize that humans really could be as emotionally vulnerable as a pokemon.

She wished that she could've figured this out in a better way, and she knew that she needed to apologize. She would do anything to say sorry to Everest and Travis, but neither wanted anything to do with her now, and so her voice would go unheard.

It was too late for a comeback, and now she was left to fend for herself in the world beyond a cozy home, only that this time she had her injuries to add to her other problems. It was clear to her now how much she had lost through her paranoia she slouched deeper into the alleyway.

"I could have treated him better, I suppose…"

The pooch sat in the middle of the alley, unwillingly content with her place in the world, alone and depressed. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she'd die from starvation, as she couldn't secure any food in her condition. She figured that she didn't deserve food, nor any act of kindness. She would just have to force herself to bear with it until her body caved in.

She closed her eyes and hoped to bask in the only thing she had, which was silence. It seemed to work out for a few seconds, but a sudden clicking on the concrete that came from behind her proved she wouldn't get to have that luxury either.

Zia stood and whipped her head around her, unable to find who or where the sound was coming from. "Who the fuck are you!? Get out here!" the pooch snarled.

A chuckle echoed from the darkest reaches of the alley, and Zia bared her fangs in response. Something was lurking behind the dumpster a couple of feet from her side.

"You're bold, little one, but you are in no such place to talk like that to me. I've claimed this area," the voice giggled with a ring of femininity. "You've dug your own grave by staying here."

"I don't fucking care what this area is to you, so I'll ask again… Who are you!?" Zia's throat became dry when she had seen the large silhouette of the pokemon come from her hiding place, still holding that infuriating laugh.

"So I suppose you want to make this personal then, cute. You didn't have a choice once you came in here anyway, but I love your spirit in keeping the drama alive."

The pokemon finally stepped out of the murky shadows to reveal herself under the lamp of one of the surrounding buildings. The pooch stepped back and sized her foe, who was near twice her size. She stood on four legs and seemed canid just the same, but she was more intimidating than most pokemon Zia had faced.

White fur covered the majority of her body save for her face, which revealed a wicked yellow smile. Her fur was caked with dirt and her eyes mimicked the blood that she was after. Her long claws hooked into the concrete as her horn reflected the lamp's light, threatening to blind Zia if she stared for too long.

Picking a fight with an absol was never a good idea...

"My name is Dawn. I think it's only proper that you know the name of your murderer, wouldn't you say, sweetie? I could make this quick and painless for you, because I desire a meal soon, or… Are you one of those freaks who prefer to feel my claws twisting into your ribs?"

Zia cringed at her words and backed away, but naturally not missing a chance to retort. "Cut the crap, bitch! I didn't do anything to you so leave me be!"

Dawn scoffed. "Heehee, sometimes we pokemon just like to cause trouble, even when unwarranted. I just so happen to be one of those wicked animals, and from what I've heard earlier, I see you are one yourself!"

The absol clapped her paws as she watched Zia's ears flatten. _Twisted bitch is actually right…_

The pooch growled and raised her fur despite knowing that she couldn't ever hope to compete against an absol strapped in bandages like this, nor could she easily escape without spilling some blood. Fighting seemed to be the only way out…

" _ **Now, sweetie. How about we see which one of us is the more wicked~**_ "


	6. Behind the Masks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, wanted to add a note. I want to say I enjoyed writing this chapter, as I feel it's a peak for the entire story, but it puts me under stress because I know how important it is. I honestly like to hear feedback on this chapter in particular, as I'm not great with tension, fights, etc. If you'd like, drop a comment! Do enjoy.

The sky started to darken as Everest returned to Travis's house, crawling through the window that he had left ajar for her to return. She bore the same frown and droopy ears from when she left her only sister as she hopped across the sill.

Travis was still on his bed, seeming not to have moved from where the eevee left him, only that he was on his back now. His arms and legs sprawled lifelessly across the sheets as he stared at the ceiling fan, its wind blowing over his bare skin.

Everest still had bile toward her sister, but she focused on Travis as she stepped toward his bed.

"Hey, Travis… are you going to be okay?"

His body didn't budge besides a weak nod, which didn't look like much from the way he laid. The fan was still the only thing in his gaze, though he could admit that his eyes stung from staring into its current for so long. He heard Everest's sigh, and he finally blinked.

"I'm still thinking about it," he muttered.

The photo that Zia had ravaged laid next to Travis's foot, but he didn't bother to look at it any longer, almost kicking it to the side with the movement of his leg.

Everest hopped on the mattress and sat near the boy's face before licking his forehead. His expression didn't change like it usually would when they shared a moment.

"About my sister letting her rage out on you? Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me..."

Travis shook his head before mumbling, "No, no, no…"

Everest cocked her head and leaned toward him in her befuddlement. "Then… what is it?"

"When I snapped at Zia, she gave me a look, unlike anything I thought I'd see from her… She seemed terrified of me…" answered Travis. Everest widened her gaze at him before he continued. "With how dirty she was to me, I thought I would be over it, but I'm not… I can't stop thinking about that face."

Everest's paw ran over Travis's head as he turned to face her, taking a breath.

"I know I feel more guilty than I should, but I don't want Zia to be out there on her own, especially when she's still in bandages. She's been pushing past her limits, but I don't know what's out there, and I think… her luck is going to run out."

The eevee's brows narrowed with the mention of Zia, and she withdrew her paw and glared at him. "I'm just sick of her attitude now," she spat. "Maybe being alone the way she is will give her some common sense. I will never understand her, and I sometimes feel as if I shouldn't try."

Her tail wavered mindlessly behind her as the eevee stood up, staring past Travis as his eyes still followed her movements. "...Man, you wouldn't believe me by now when I tell you again that she used to be very sweet, maybe even fond of humans. Then… well, I guess we grew up, and a lot has happened with both of us involving humans. Still, I can't blame every human for making her act this way because of people like you. Maybe getting a taste of her own cold shoulder will make her realize that."

Travis leaned up and turned toward the eevee, crossing his legs as he brought a hand to his knee. "Everest, you do… care about your sister, right…?"

She returned with a skeptical gaze and shouted, "Of course I do! We've looked out for each other since forever ago, but sometimes I just want to… I don't want to think about her right now after all of this…" The eevee closed her eyes and held her breath as she recalled their conversation behind the pokemart and the way she used Tail Slap on her sister. "I guess I'm worried about her too, but she needs to learn a lesson. She's smart and mature to a degree, so I hope she doesn't bark up the wrong tree. No telling where she is now."

Travis felt his organs tie into knots when the image of Zia's corpse burned clearly in his mind. He grew pale and brought a hand to his head.

_God, I don't want to find Zia_ _ **dead**_ … _Maybe Everest has more confidence in her than I do, but she's hurt, and I at least know she can't defend herself that way. I'm a fool, but I can't just sit here!_

Travis pounced off his bed before rushing into his closet to grab his boots, soon tying his laces as Everest frowned at him. A low growl left her throat.

"Now, Travis," called Everest, catching the boy's attention as she intended. "Don't tell me that you're going to do something stupid and go after her after what she did to you."

He looked down at the boot that he was tying, cracking a grin after a few seconds. "My stupidity got me this far, I guess," he said. The eevee walked toward the bed's edge, where she showed her irritation with a snarl. Travis's expression remained the same.

"Are you kidding me, Travis!? You can at least show a _**little**_ backbone to Zia. You don't have to do anything rash, but literally, almost anything else is better than you taking the brunt of her abuse. Man, you really are naive if you're going through with that and let things go back to the way they were…" Her ears went limp before her gaze softened and fell to her paws.

When she brought her gaze back to him, she could see that he was still bearing a smile. It was a weak one, but it was a smile and nothing less.

"You and your sister probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for my naivety, Everest."

Everest's following growl didn't deter him, nor was he discouraged from her tears. He only knelt toward the bed and hugged her, as she had done for him before.

"...I'm sick of having to go back and forth with you both, Travis," she muttered before bringing a paw to his shoulder. "You're the most naive person that I know, but you're still a good one, and possibly the best friend that I've always wanted."

Their smiles broadened as they backed away from each other, and Everest wiped her tears. "I almost want to believe Zia felt bad for what she did," Everest admitted.

Travis raised his brow and leaned in, knowing that information like this was big news. If that were true, maybe this was the opportunity Travis was looking for to make peace between them. That possibility was slim, but he saw no reason to not hope for it.

"She didn't fight back at all when I told her about the damage she did, and she already looked out of it when I met up with her for some reason, and maybe even more so when I left. Maybe she's starting to understand things, but that's my doubtful guess. I don't know where she is now, as she probably left the market I found her by, so I wouldn't get your hopes up. I'm still not changing my opinion on her, though, so I'll wait. I need some time to myself…"

"I understand, Everest," said Travis as he stepped toward his door, grabbing his PokéNav along the way. "I'll find what I can, but I will at least check on her. See you in a little while."

As Travis left the house, Everest watched from the window as he disappeared into the neighborhood. Her head rested on her paws, though she found it hard to relax. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, Zia…"

* * *

Zia had little choice but to stand her ground against this psychotic absol that still gave her the rotten smirk that nauseated the pooch just from staring. Zia took cautious breaths and followed Dawn's movements as she crept circles around her.

"So I'm curious enough. What's a sweetie _poochyena_ like you doing here?" jeered Dawn. Her remark earned another snarl from Zia, who crouched and stretched her claws. The absol scoffed. "Is this your way of intimidating me? Hehehee, pup, don't waste too much energy then. If I need to kill you, then I want my job to be fun."

The poochyena's ears flattened as Dawn pointed to her hips and torso, which were still wrapped by those damn bandages. "I'll admit that I didn't expect to come across a domestic brat like you here. You're wrapped like a pleasant holiday present, making this all the easier~"

Zia felt her blood boil and her eye twitched at the comment, her predator only licking her chops. "Stop speaking as if you know me, and I'm not fucking domesticated!"

"My, I'm sure your trainer is worried about their ignorant, runaway pup. It's a shame he'll never get to see you again unless they want to see you ripped open, " she whispered.

Zia backed away and growled at the slight mention of Travis, even though he wasn't her trainer. She forced herself to push his image out of her head. Now wasn't the time to guilt trip herself, especially knowing that there was no way Travis was coming for her. If he were stupid enough to try, he wouldn't know where to look, and Everest would never tell him anything with how pissed she was.

Did she want to be saved? The poochyena didn't want to answer that.

"...Okay, you're starting to bore me, so I should just get our party started then," snickered the absol, mimicking Zia's battle stance as she ground her claws against the concrete.

The poochyena hadn't the chance to ready herself before the white canine rushed at her. Zia gathered the energy that she had in her muscles to hop out of the way before Dawn's claws could tear though her, their ends meeting more pavement instead.

With shards of concrete scattering around them, Zia hissed as her hind legs hit the rigid ground. She felt as if flames were eating at her hips, and she cursed her rotten luck. The sting of her injuries started to take effect.

Her back legs quivered as she tried to find her balance, unaware of Dawn rushing headfirst at her, ramming her head straight into her side and causing Zia to shriek. The pooch's eyes ripped as wide as they were allowed as she skidded across the ground, soon coming to a stop on her back. Her bandages torn from hitting the concrete, and she started to bleed as her fragile skin lay exposed.

A whimper escaped the pooch's lips as she attempted to hold her side, only to quickly withdraw her paw as her ribs burned from her touch. Her bones could have crunched from that attack, but she found no time to lick her wounds as Dawn rapidly advanced with another quick slash.

Zia rolled onto her haunches and lashed her claws just before the absol could attack, piercing Dawn's chest and causing her blood to shed to the concrete. Zia got on her feet and stepped away as the white canine hopped back with a frigid snarl that chilled the pooch's bones.

The poochyena was surprised that she had to catch her breath from using that one move. She cursed herself before looking at her torso. Whatever the bandaging didn't cover was caked in bruises and blood, and the sting that came from twisting her body threatened to make her howl. She tried to keep quiet only for the sake of her pride.

Dawn's playful attitude disappeared into the scowl that she had given the pooch. Wiping her chest and checking her now blood-stained paw, the absol hissed and raised her hackles.

"Now you _definitely_ shouldn't expect to leave here alive. I will rip out your bones and make it as painful as possible, mutt," Dawn snarled.

Zia sweated as she checked out the gashes her claws left on the absol's chest, each one trailing a line of her blood. The poochyena crouched again and prepared herself, ashamed that her attack hadn't done anything more than enrage her foe.

_I can't hope to do anything like this… What's the point of trying?_

She carefully examined her surroundings, noticing that the closest exit was a couple of feet behind Dawn. Her rear legs burned from tensing herself, but she shoved past the absol to make her escape.

Dawn smirked and dashed after the poochyena before ramming into her side again, and Zia yelped as she was flung straight toward the dumpster with a harsh impact.

The poochyena's jaw forced open as she tried to gasp for breath, the clang of the dumpster ringing in her ears, that attack was much more intense than the last. She squirmed against the dumpster, much like a worm, and she could feel her pain extending to more than just her torso. She streamed tears as her eyes forced themselves shut, and the wicked disaster pokemon approached her with a pleasured gaze.

Zia opened an eye to watch her murderer, the absol's face covered in pitch-black now that they were away from the lamps. That bloody-red gaze and the rotten teeth she bared through her grin was the only thing the pooch could see.

_I guess maybe I do deserve this…_

Zia quietly sniveled as she looked down at her paws. Her breaths were harsh, somewhat cold. _To imagine… I'm the one on the ground, showing weakness to this bitch. Every lie that I've told myself has brought me here. I just can't believe it ends like this…_

* * *

The flashlight of his PokéNav did little to help Travis on his search in the city. That dark-furred pooch could camouflage anywhere now that it was nighttime. Travis grumbled to himself as he kept an eye on the shadier parts of the paths he threaded through.

He considered himself lucky the gangs that used to run this city from the slums have long since disbanded, making the streets not so dangerous at night aside from the random wild pokemon.

_She couldn't have gotten too far, but what market was Everest talking about, Olivine has tons of them. I wish she would've come with me._

Travis's stomach chewed itself as a chilly wind blew, causing bumps to grow onto his exposed skin. Nobody lurked outside on nights where the wind howled like this, loud enough to fool children into thinking there were houndoom out. The boy's heart grew heavy.

_Dang it, where could she be?_

His eyes scanned the buildings that surrounded him. Zia could have snuck into any one of them, or perhaps the alleys hidden between them. He placed his hands on his hips and sighed, not believing she deserved to be lost here. However, he still wasn't sure if he had wanted to bring her back, especially if she continued to give him that cold shoulder.

"ZIAAA!" he called, again and again through the empty streets. The sixth time wasn't the charm, and some lights from the nearby hotels started to turn on. He figured it might've been better to quiet down.

_She's either not here, avoiding me, or just not able to answer me._

It had only been twenty minutes, but Travis had already burnt out from the stress, and he ran a near lap around the entire town. It felt useless when the pooch he was trying to find could have been in any curve, behind any building, using whatever tools she had to keep out of sight in a city full of the humans she feared.

He leaned against one of the nearby walls, pressing his hands against its rough brick texture. He could admit that they all were starting to look the same as the night grew colder, causing him to shiver without the aid of a jacket.

_I should go back and get a coat,_ he thought before looking down at his feet. _But I don't want to leave Zia out here any-_

A yelp echoed through the city and reached Travis's ears, stopping him mid-thought. He stood straight and looked for the source, a scream leading him to turn to near the PokéMart was. That first yelp was the sound of a canine pokemon who found themselves in the middle of something nasty. _Wait…_ Travis groaned.

"Of course, the _PokéMart_ is what she meant, who calls it the Pokémon Market anymore!?" The blood-curdling scream came from around there, and the opening to an alleyway was the first thing Travis pointed out.

Whether that sound came from Zia or not, Travis hoped for the best as he dashed toward the building. He obligated himself to help whatever pokemon no matter the price, so whatever trouble that pokemon got themselves into would soon be his own…

Zia shot another shrill cry as Dawn slashed into her side again, the poochyena's blood spitting onto both of their faces as her torn bandages stuck in clumps against her matted coat. The pooch's blistered skin had nothing to protect it as the strong wind brought another wave of stings to make her slither.

She reached her paws and pushed against the ground, attempting to pick herself up to only fall back on her side when she anchored her rear leg. She cried a silent gasp as she slammed back down, shutting her eyes before shaking her head with disbelief.

Dawn licked her chops as she watched her prey squirm at her paws, raising her claws to hack into the poochyena when she attempted to breathe. The pooch seemed incapable of screaming now, only proceeding to cough her blood instead.

Zia didn't attempt to move as the pain clouded her thoughts. She just wanted Dawn to go away and allow her to sleep. Death didn't seem like such a bad option now, just to get away from everything. No longer had she the energy to snarl as Dawn licked her blood off her claws, attempting to taunt her with the fluid keeping her alive for this long.

"Is there anything you wanna say before I slit your throat, pup?" chortled Dawn as she watched the pooch lay lifelessly beneath her.

Zia refused to move to save herself from any more pain, barely paying mind to what the white canine yapped to her. There were two things on her mind, and she took this moment of respite to remind herself how she took both of them for granted.

_I miss you, Everest…_

She remembered that positive attitude the eevee brought to almost every situation, even in the more hostile ones. Everest was too much of an optimist in her eyes, but she could admit that she was starting to miss it.

Ever since the two were pups, Zia had aspired to be more like her big sister despite being the same age. Still, her negativity only worsened until they eventually became adults. All Zia wanted to do now was hug the vee and tell her how sorry she was for ruining their family name. She wouldn't get the chance now. Karma was here.

_Even the human, Travis… He needs to be told sorry even more than my sister. Heh, I wish I could be proven wrong about him again. I'd listen…_

The pooch breathed softly through her nostrils as she closed her mouth, relaxing her body. Staying alive would be worth it if she could make things right.

_I always thought that I was right, considering what I was doing were deeds of a vigilante. I got what I deserved, but I don't want to die here. God damn… I rather have you here, Travis, than this bitch._

A lump formed into the poochyena's throat that made her want to puke from that final sentence, yet she was able to smirk after swallowing. While she thought of herself as a cunt for her thoughts, she preferred to live, but she didn't have another option.

Maybe this indeed was karma, but Zia never wanted to harm someone who hasn't swung first, and Travis was nothing like that either. There was only one person that Dawn compared to, and that was the monster to make her fear everything.

The poochyena's eyes slowly shut, and her muscles, ears, and tail didn't budge. Dawn only smirked before spitting on her face. "Good night, _**bitch~**_ "

"Fuck off!"

Dawn squinted at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, turning around to meet what looked to be a snappy human male, his hands twisting into fists as he found Zia's body thrashed against the dumpster.

"What did you do to her!?" barked Travis.

The absol smirked at his entrance. He couldn't be serious with confronting her so boldly, especially without a pokemon at his side. "Who do you think you are, _boy_?" she snickered before advancing toward a shaking Travis, who primarily focused on Zia's corpse.

Travis could admit that poochyena had been an asshole to him in more ways than he could count, but even he could say she didn't deserve to die. His blood boiled as he gazed over her bruises and scars before shooting Dawn a glare. He knew that running wasn't an option now, but all he wanted to do was get Zia's body back to her sister.

He took a deep breath and relaxed, readying himself as this predator circled him. Her grin was something that Travis had only seen in horror movies, which gave him a chill, but he forced himself to follow her movements. He hadn't fought a pokemon before, but he was thankful for learning how to defend himself, something that he figured he should learn how to do after the incident with Casey. He had to use his wits and knowledge on this pokemon if he wanted to get out of here.

Dawn rushed at him with a tackle attack that was too close for Travis to dodge, so he braced himself before the absol rammed him in her pounce. Travis cried out as she clawed into both of his sides and was slammed onto his back, lucky to keep his head held up so it wouldn't crash into the ground too. He gritted his teeth and squirmed under the white-furred canine, who gave a playful giggle.

"Who knew the mutt would have such a cute friend?" she asked. Travis widened his gaze and tried to push her off, but the penetration of her claws numbed his arms. "Perhaps… I can spare you for a price."

Travis pulled his head back as Dawn's paw rested on his chest, and he surprised her by ramming his head into her face, causing the absol to scream upon impact. She pulled away from him and held her bruised face as Travis scurried from her, now rubbing his forehead with a grimace.

As Travis grumbled under his breath, Dawn darted at him before slashing him at the side of his face and arm. The force of her claws was enough to slam him onto his side as his blood scattered against the concrete.

" _You_ … You are truly going to deny the most-"

An uppercut under Dawn's chin clamped her muzzle shut and allowed Travis to separate himself a few feet. He attempted to catch his breath, and shakingly stood up. His blood hardened to the cold air, his shirt clamping to his sides as he wiped his face.

The absol's gaze and form daunted him as she bared her teeth, and Travis prepared himself for another beating, resisting the urge to hold his stomach.

* * *

_What's that noise? Who's screaming?_

A blurry dumpster was the first thing Zia had seen, though the pooch attempted to gather her bearings. The pooch's body was numb while bruises covered her form. With a taste of the blood that had been in her mouth, Zia gasped as she realized that she was still alive from the beating she took from that bitch absol.

Another scream caught her attention, and she looked at the source with an inconceivable gaze.

_What!? What the hell is Travis doing here?_

Zia scanned the wounds covering his face and arms as Dawn darted at him. He tried to stomp the absol, but the absol sidestepped and clamped his grounded ankle with her jaws, dropping him to the ground once more.

While Zia may have admitted earlier that this wasn't how she wanted to die, she shook her head in disbelief. She wanted to ask why he was here, taking the brunt of the beatdown she deserved. Zia winced upon shifting her weight, now facing toward them. A blaze lanced through her body once more, but she smiled as she focused on Travis.

_He's an idiot… not a bad one, at least._

Her smile disappeared as Dawn's snarl crawled through her ears and made her shiver. Now back to her senses, Zia heard Travis's howl as Dawn chomped into his leg again.

The poochyena forced herself to sit up and opened her jaws, aimed at Dawn. Doing this much made her grunt as she reminded herself of her cramps, but she'd rather kill herself from strain than watch this torture any further.

Little spheres of black energy centered in front of Zia's open jaws, forming an orb of energy that she rarely used as an attack. With her reserve strength hidden within this Shadow Ball, she narrowed her gaze and shot forward.

Dawn had no time to react before the attack collided with her side and exploded on impact, sending the wicked canine crashing into the concrete. Zia's muscles collapsed to the ground once more as she noticed Travis sit up, looking toward the source of that attack before he noticed that Zia had finally moved.

Travis disregarded the absol as he stood up and scurried to Zia. As their gazes met, Travis knelt and ran a hand across her back. The poochyena was chillier than what she should have been, even on this cold night.

"Zia, are you okay…? That's a stupid question, but… I still have to ask," whispered Travis.

A tear escaped Zia's eye as she looked him over, cringing with each bloodstain she found. "Travis… I'm sorry that you came here, just to-"

Zia fell silent as Travis's hand rested against her shoulder. "We'll talk about that if we get out of here."

Both of them looked toward the absol as she was starting to come to, and it was a surprise to no one that she didn't seem to take much punishment from a Shadow Ball. Zia looked to Travis again.

"You have to kill her, Travis, I haven't the energy to assist you again, everything is killing me..." She closed her mouth as a cough shot from her throat, only making her cough twice as harsh. "She won't let us run, and unless you're hiding a bat up your butt, you don't have the strength to knock her cold. Get at her throat, that's all you can do. I'm sorry."

Travis frowned, but he hadn't the time to argue, and he was already fearful of what this absol would do to them if he left her around. He stood up and faced her once more, wincing as his weight fell on his damaged ankle, but he thought to himself as he felt something pointy in his pocket. Wait… It was the key!

His memory recalled: _**I need to get a new one… That thing is sharp.**_

Travis knew what he could do now, but he didn't know how he'd even get the chance to try, and besides, he'd have a hard time getting through that scruff, even if her fur was much thinner than most of her kind. He had to get her down somehow.

"Oh… You're alive," Dawn spat, her eyes narrowed on Zia, whose snout scrunched at the sight of her smirk. "You don't understand. Killing you with my claws gives greater satisfaction."

Travis's boot came between the poochyena and absol's gazes, but Dawn didn't change her demeanor, only aiming it at him now. He didn't say a word, but his heart and mind raced as one.

_She's fond of physical attacks, and she's stubborn to that tactic._

His fingers seamlessly glided into his pocket to grab the key, mindful of its many jagged edges. He gritted his teeth.

_We both die if I mess up here. Everest won't know what happened to her sister, and… Mom's going to pay for another funeral. I have to be careful._

"You better listen to me, boy." Dawn's scornful tone made Travis clench his fist. "Angry now, are we? Well, allow me to end this for all of us."

Dawn rushed at him, her claws igniting with a ghastly flame as she aimed her Shadow Claw at his injured leg. Travis backstepped to avoid her slash before the pain from his ankle caused him to fall on his hindquarters. A silent scream escaped his throat as Dawn charged.

Her muzzle met with his boot, and she snarled as blood flew out of her nose, but she didn't budge. Travis tried to crawl back before the absol locked her jaws on his boot, her teeth were barely able to get past its protective armor.

Something had struck Travis's mind as he tried to yank his foot away; _he could only land hits on her when she got close and cocky, which led to that headbutt and uppercut earlier._

Travis paled at what he would have to do, but it seemed that it would be the only way to get out of this fray alive. He reeled his fist back and slugged Dawn in the eye, causing the absol to let his boot go with a yell before Travis scrambled on his feet to catch his breath. He had little time to ponder as Dawn already recovered, so he ran at her with all of his speed to only trip over his foot.

Dawn headbutted Travis's chest before he could fall on it, knocking the wind out of him before he fell on his back instead. She pounced on him as he tried to sit up and latched her claws onto his back before digging in, causing Travis to scream and squirm within her grip.

She leaned toward his ear, allowing the blood of her nose to make contact with his hearing organ. "I will enjoy ripping you out. I want to hear you scream my name one way or another, and then-" The absol was cut off with her scream when Travis's teeth bolted on her already damaged nose.

Zia winced as the absol ripped her claws away from Travis's back before she hopped off of him, leaving the boy to hiss with his six new gashes. He was holding his own against her, and if Zia didn't start this battle with probably half of her physical capability, she would've fumed at this.

As she held her nose behind her paws and shut her eyes, Dawned looked to be just as frustrated. "You… _You damn_ _ **neanderthal**_ … _I should have torn into your face first._ "

Ignoring the crippling affliction in his back that told him to stay down, Travis shot up and rammed into Dawn with what strength he could muster, causing the absol to fall on her back before pinning her down with his superior weight.

Raising his hand and adjusting the key in his fist to show its edge, Travis glared down into the absol's eyes, and she did the same as one of her arms were pinned from the boy's free hand. Her anatomy failed her with this position, and with Travis's other arm raised, she tried to claw at his side instead. Another hiss drew from him as she dug into his already open wounds. Despite this, his gaze grew remorseful as he knew what this led to.

"Get off of me, swine!" she screamed as she clawed away at him, but Travis persevered as if he was used to the pain before he slammed the key into her throat.

Dawn was silenced as the piece of metal punctured her skin, and her blood flew toward the side when he further jammed it in with his fist, and her chokes reached the ears of everyone present.

Her skin paled beneath her fur as she stared at him with dilated eyes. He pressed his fingers against her neck and pushed down to assure that she couldn't get away from this. She flailed the moment she felt his fingers and tried to attack his arms with her claws.

Travis shut his eyes and looked away from the scene as he heard her chokes and gasps. Tears came from his eyes as his crime came to mind, against the monsters that he always wanted to protect. Travis pressed his fingers harder as he felt her claws become incredibly weak and turn into an unsettling petting motion. Eventually, after enough blood fled her body, her paws finally dropped.

"Let it be over. God, please," cried Travis as he opened his eyes. There was a dead pokemon under him, eyes wide with fear and neck a bloody mess. He grimaced as her eyes were still looking directly into his, and he remained frozen for what could have been five minutes before Zia's cough got his attention.

He stood up and backed away from the absol's lifeless body, looking at her once more before stumbling over to Zia. She rested a paw on his boot as he made it to her, and she smirked at him.

"Heh, congrats on your victory…"

Travis didn't want to think about what he had just done _ever_ again, but he could smile at the battle's outcome. That damn poochyena was here and alive.

"...Thanks, not for what you said, but what you've done for me."

"...What?" You shouldn't thank me for anything, especially considering my actions led to this," said Zia before averting her gaze.

Here Travis was, like some knight in bloody armor. While appreciative of his actions, the poochyena felt somewhat inferior to him now, and he had the nerve to give her thanks.

"Eh… You saved my skin. That absol thought you were dead, and maybe if she killed me, she would have left, meaning you could escape. You thought about my life back there, so yes, I'm gonna thank you." He held his back and painfully grinned. "We should get home already."

"Home? _Are you mental_? I can barely move while you're cut like a tree." Zia couldn't speak too loudly, but it was clear through her face how agitated she was. Travis reddened at this, reminding himself of the hardened blood that coated his clothes and skin.

"...Cancel that. We're going to a pokémon center."

Travis scooped Zia into his arms before heading out of the alleyway toward the new destination, even if it was farther home. Zia had tried to push away her regrets as she became comfortable in his hold.

She felt safe for the first time in a while.

* * *

It took about ten minutes for the duo to make it to the pokémon center, and Travis felt as if thorns were biting at his feet as he finally stepped into those double doors. Feeling the air conditioner against his skin and eyes made Travis drowsy, but he stepped toward the nurse as she grabbed her purse. He must have caught her at the end of her shift, but his thoughts ceased when she finally caught eye of Zia and himself.

The nurse scuttled toward them after dropping her bag, soon inspecting their bodies with a weary, yet distressed look. Her brows furrowed at Travis.

"What the hell could have happened to you? This wasn't just some random battle. I can't… believe I've left that poochyena into your care just to see not just her, but _you_ too like this a few days later. And I should-"

"Hey," said Zia, who narrowed her gaze just the same. This objection surprised Travis and the nurse. "Leave him alone. I am the cause of this, and he saved my life. Just do your job and help."

The two ladies locked gazes before the nurse eventually sighed and gestured Travis and Zia over toward her counter. She grabbed a kit from behind the desk and opened it to reveal an assortment of bandages, gauze, cleaning tissues, and other medical essentials before she got to work on patching them both. Both patients were cleaned and wrapped up within minutes.

"Now," said the nurse as she finished wrapping Travis's torso. "The night nurse won't be here for another twenty minutes, you two."

She sat at her desk and pulled up the trainer database on the computer before typing Travis's full name. He may not have had a pokemon of his own, but Travis was indeed certified to be a trainer and had his license, so it was no surprise that the woman was able to pull up his contact info. By extension, this also led to his mother's information and his extended family, which somewhat scared Travis.

"If you're leaving now, you two are _definitely_ coming back here tomorrow," she confirmed with a smirk.

While Zia bared her teeth snarled with disgust, Travis inwardly sighed. He wouldn't hear the end of the rants between his mother and the nurse for months to come.

* * *

"Well… It's been quite a night, aye?" asked Travis.

The two left immediately after the nurse had, braving the chilly night once more as they neared home. Zia hadn't responded to Travis's words since they walked so far, but a few thoughts crossed the poochyena's mind as she stared into the cloudless sky.

They were finally back to the neighborhood, and Travis's house came into view. The boy looked to be thinking about something as well, but Zia's voice took him out of it.

"Why…?" she whispered, triggering Travis to give her a bewildered expression. "After everything I've done to you… You go out of your way to get killed. I don't… understand. You should've stayed home." Travis's gaze softened as the pooch shook her head and cried.

He blew his fuse and told her to get lost, only to come running back to save her. She couldn't insult his stupidity now, much less try to understand it.

Travis had entered his backyard rather than immediately going inside the house, but the action didn't concern her. The human's acts of kindness over the past few days were becoming evident.

Travis looked into the house through the back window. As expected this time of night, the immediate rooms were dark, barren of any lurkers. Though the boy was a tad relieved from this, he still carried an impatient pooch that wanted her question answered.

"Zia…"

The pooch growled and jabbed her paw at his chest, but upon seeing his wince, she quickly withdrew it.

"Sorry, but I treated you like scum, so the least you should do is get me back." Travis opened his mouth, but Zia cut him short. "I don't fucking care. Do something, goddam- Yeep!" she yelped before her paws flew to cover her nose, thanks to a flick Travis managed to give as he held her.

"That's all I'll do, so live with it," he whispered before he sat down on the porch, careful not to lean his back onto the wall. "Just wanted a breather before going inside."

Zia frowned from the safe spot of the boy's lap, her eyes stained with her tears as she glared at him. "You make things… very complicated..." she blubbered.

The poochyena admitted that it felt painful to care about this boy, but it was too late for her to change this. There was now an admiration she didn't know how to express for him, and she silently wished that it was always like this, to be able to trust this human and have a peace of mind around him. Still, the pooch felt nothing more than shame for the stress she made for everyone to prove her false prejudice. Even realizing this, Zia was ever fearful of where this outcome could lead.

"Zia… I don't know what to think of you, but you're under my care and live in this house. Yeah, you bet I'll make _things_ complicated. It's up to you if you want to embrace this, it isn't like I stopped you before."

Zia shook her head before looking at his torso, mindful of the bandages that revealed themselves between the tears in his shirt.

"You're a dumbass…" Her tone was soft, and her gaze was similar. "I do not deserve anything that you offer me. I've done nothing but harm since I've been here."

Travis slouched as Zia limped away and showed her back. Leaning forward, he soon took the poochyena into his arms and hugged her gently. The hyena's fur pricked his arms upon being pulled toward his chest, and her eyes dilated.

"Get off of me!" the pooch bellowed as she pressed against him. She pushed her paws against his face, though she had quickly regretted it as her pain came back to bite at her. Her brows remained furrowed, but her voice lost that previous toughness. "T-Travis! I'll bite if you don't let me go…!" His hug tightened. "Travis…"

It became evident to Zia that the boy wasn't going to let go on her command. Her ears flattened as she stared at the concrete, but she wrapped her paws around his neck in return. Her wagging tail was a pleasant sight as they shared this quiet embrace.

Redemption was all Zia wanted now, but for the time, she felt secure with where she was. She found a moment of sanity where she could temporarily escape from her fears along with her hatred.

Zia realized the truth; that humans had a chance to choose their paths in life, just the same as everyone pokemon did. No longer blinded by her preconceptions, the poochyena wanted to change her own path. Maybe it wasn't too late to make a difference.

"Heh, I won't lie… I'm too tired," mumbled Travis before Zia looked up to him with a frown.

"Are you alright…?"

"Yeah. Just a little sleepy, I guess," he chuckled, but the poochyena didn't follow his lead.

"I'd rather find some way to make things up to you before you decide to sleep. I still feel… guilty." As Zia said this, Travis shared her frown.

"We can talk about it soon, Zia. I'm still a bit mad, but we're on good terms, and that's fine with me. Don't kill yourself over this, because I just want it to be over," he finished, and the two of them soon released each other from their hug.

Zia stepped from Travis, but he noticed that something was off about her now that the tension was gone. She wouldn't set down her left haunch, and it was mummified just as much as the new bandages around her sides. "Zia, what's wrong with your leg?"

"Did you not notice when the nurse said that absol broke it? Must have happened when I flew at that dumpster. It will take a while to heal."

"Hm… Let's go inside." Travis picked the pooch up again before looking for the lock, a strange one for house doors, a number lock. This worked great for whenever Travis forgot his keys, as he often seemed to do.

Upon walking inside the house, Travis was happy to notice that his mother wasn't in sight, and the room to her room was currently shut. Now reassured of the situation, Travis cruised to his room where he and Zia found Everest on the bed, who instantly shot up at their presence. The two of them looked like they've come out of the grave to the silver eevee.

Travis allowed Zia's paws to the ground as the vee pounced from the bed and dashed toward her sister. Everest's arms wrapped around the poochyena, who winced at the sudden pull but hugged back as she looked to the wooden floor.

"I'm sorry, Everest, for everything… I really…" The poochyena sniveled as Everest ran her paw down her back. "Just don't leave me like that again..." Everest and Travis were surprised to hear the pooch's whimper, and the eevee looked to Travis to get an explanation.

He briefed her on everything he remembered as the trio sat on the floor, Travis changing into some clean clothes as Everest snarled, "I'd be at that absol's throat if she were still alive. I just wish I would've thought of this possibility …" The vee hugged her sister once more before giving Travis the same gesture, still streaming tears of her own. "T-Thanks, Travis. This is the third time you've helped us, and I can't thank you enough…"

"Don't thank me, really. I think I have a thing for getting in trouble too, but I'm glad we're alive."

With Travis doing all of the chatter, Zia was left within a cycle of silence until her eyes fell to the corner where she usually napped, and the familiar pair of sullied jeans was still there. She hobbled toward them before she carefully picked them up in her maw before presenting them to Travis when he stood up.

Zia and Travis locked their gazes before the boy found his jeans falling over his feet. He watched the poochyena lurk back into the corner, where she was content with calling home. After running a paw across her chin to the sight, Everest hopped on the bed and stood on her hind legs, leaning toward Travis.

"It might be a good time to make a friend out of her now," she whispered before returning on her four paws with a smile. Travis gave Zia a thoughtful gaze, even if it met with the poochyena's back. Her ears twitched, almost lively.

"Hey, so… We have room up here if you want to join us, Zia," said Travis as he gestured toward his bed. The poochyena eyed him, somewhat cautiously. There was some thought to her silence.

"No. Thank you," the pooch responded, but Travis smirked.

"Well, that's too bad. This is your first step to redemption."

Zia yelped as Travis lifted her in arms, and she was placed on the bed alongside her sister before Travis turned out the lights. Travis rolled onto the bed before pulling the sheets over them. The pooch looked toward Everest, who smiled as she leaned in for another hug.

"Goodnight, sis," Everest whispered.

Zia eventually looked to Travis and showed him a toothy smile that somehow stunned him. This was the first time the poochyena showed him genuine happiness, and Travis couldn't help but grin as she hesitantly came a little closer.

There would be a lot of explaining to do when Travis's mother woke up to a less than pleasant phone call from the pokémon center, but for the first time in days, things have finally felt… normal. A shower would have to wait for Travis as the poochyena kept her paws over him in a protective blanket of their own.

Zia had felt at home. She had somewhere to relax and didn't have to worry about being attacked in this pathetic state of hers. Here, she was cared for by someone other than her sister, someone that she may have been able to rely upon.

Maybe Travis had already noticed, but she had a strong reason to care about him as well. That would be put to the test another day, as there would be a choice that she would make.

Zia hadn't much fear about this choice because she knew that it was for the better. So for now, the poochyena closed her eyes, her smile still bright.

_I will allow myself to rest, but I won't forget everything that you've done for me, and you've taken me for quite a ride. There isn't a doubt in my mind that this won't be our last adventure, human._

_Sleep well, Travis. You've earned a place in my heart..._


	7. Rolling the Clock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone, merry late Christmas and new year, or whatever you celebrate! I apologize for the wait as usual, and while I have obvious reasons behind this such as personal issues, sickness, and work, we're here for some damn story. But don't expect much from this chapter. It's the last of what I have posted on FFN, and it's just a little chapter to roll into the next arc. So like, do enjoy it!

Three weeks soared by since hell broke in the alley. Zia's recovery was swift as she allowed herself to relax. The day where she'd be free of her bindings rapidly approached.

Within the safe haven of Travis's room, the young man knelt toward Zia and lifted her hind paw, his fingers wrapping around the cast that bound the poochyena's leg before gently pulling it loose. The shell of bandages went flying into a pile with the rest, a mountain of crusty, sticky paper. Zia's currently matted coat didn't stop a grin from spreading Travis's cheeks.

"It's only been about a month, but you're looking good, Zia," Travis complimented, the poochyena in question smiling as Everest joined them, seeming just as healthy.

"About time too. It's been hard watching you waddle all the time!" chimed Everest, pressing into her sister's side.

Rolling her eyes, Zia smirked at Travis and remarked, "Same couldn't be said for him, though."

Travis grimaced at the snickering pooch. Most of the bruises and cuts scattered across his arms and legs healed within the first week, and he would've appeared excellent until people pointed out the hunch he carried with his walk.

"Sit up straight. You know the doctor will get pissed," the pooch giggled.

Holding up his shirt, the young man shook his head. The gauze hugging his torso was an embarrassing sight, but what was expected with the damage done to his back?

A bitter taste sat upon his tongue, doing the right thing to get the worst of his luck. A curse struck him with an awkward slouch and a good scolding from his mother's sobbing persona ever since the nurse initially checked the damage.

"Yeah, yeah…" Travis grumbled before straightening himself, his gaze soon meeting the ceiling. The twin pokémon waited for him to continue, but both stiffened as his playful smile disappeared.

"Something the matter?" asked Everest, her tail zipping between her legs before taking a careful step forward.

Zia's gaze tried to meet Travis, only for him to continue ignoring her. His head had air in it at times, yet this sight made Zia's stomach turn. She thought, _What's his problem…? He was cheeky just before._

The poochyena walked beside Travis to sit on her haunches, her hesitant paw meeting his still leg. Travis blinked as if taken out of hypnosis, and he finally met Zia's gaze with a frown. His hand rose to braid through his prickly hair.

"Well… Both of you are back to yourselves again, the way I met you, and…" Travis paused, but Zia could feel it. The beat of his heart ramped. "This is weird to say… Since you guys are better, I guess… I should keep the promise I made to the nurse a month ago. It's time for us to split up…"

The breath he took was the only sound to fill the room. No one's eyes met as Travis's hand adjusted to cover his face. Zia saw it for just a second when she tried to look at him. His eyes were bloodshot.

A quiet, "Oh," escaped from Everest's pursed lips as her ears whittled. Her rough paws shifting against the wooden floor, the vixen mimicked her sister and sat.

 _What do I even say? I wanted to stay here. I_ _ **could**_ _tell Travis that, but._ Everest stopped her thoughts to look at Zia, yet to make a reaction aside from her stoic gaze. _They've gotten close, that I can admit, but Zia wouldn't want to stay here, she used to hate the guy. God, what's she thinking in that head of hers?_

Travis's frown broadened upon seeing the twins' flustered faces, but how could he expect them to feel after everything they've been through? There had to be some way to brighten the mood…

Travis smiled as an idea surfaced. "Come on, guys, let's try not to be downers!" His arm rubbed above the bridge of his nose. "C'mon Zia!"

He picked up the poochyena and wrapped her in a hug when she sat upon his lap. There wasn't a struggle, though Zia wasn't wholly limp either as her muscles were still stiff.

Zia's instincts screamed for her just to hug him. Everyone knew hugs were a habit between them now, but nothing came from her but the gaze meeting his chest.

"I'll visit wherever you guys decided to go, c'mon…" Travis twisted his body to rock the poochyena in his arms gently. His hold wasn't abusive, but it was tight. He fought the urge to loosen it. "Don't go back to scary Zia, heh…"

"...Travis," she finally replied, swatting his nose with a paw as they locked gazes. "I will tell you something, and I want you to clean the crap out of your ear."

Everest's brows wrinkled at the display, though she was relieved to get a reaction from her sister.

Confident that her human friend lent his ear, the stout pooch's neutral expression widened into a smile. "...I enjoyed living here and even having you as a roommate, despite how annoying you are."

As Everest's ears drifted upward, Travis's eyes widened slightly. There was a gentle tug at the side of his mouth, but he forced himself not to smirk.

Zia continued, "Better late than never, but I've realized that I don't need to bite someone's face off for stealing my food, and Everest will never be taken away from me, not without her say, at least. Those things are important to us, as you can tell…"

Everest's tail flew from its hiding spot and wagged, a smile gracing her as she grew teary. _It's like she's acting her age._

The eevee giggled as Travis's expression changed, becoming somewhat flushed through her sister's confession. Zia looked more confident now. Where was the pooch going with her words?

"I know I joke about this, but still… now that this day is here, it's weird to say goodbye after everything, even if you lived to your word and visited us."

Travis met Zia's words with a nod as he reclined, using his hands for support and allowing Zia to press into his lap on her own.

"Yeah… You guys are the closest I've had to pokémon of my own, and you both know already, but you're family and will never be less," Travis responded with a smile of his own. "But… It makes it harder to let things go. I guess that isn't the point. I don't expect to hear this from you, much less more than once. Is there something else you want to say?"

Zia covered her mouth, her paw muffling the snicker that followed. "I like you, Travis, but you're an idiot."

"...Then what are you getting at?" The genuinely confused expression that preceded Travis's question gave the poochyena a reinforced toothy grin.

"What I'm _trying_ to hint at is I want to _stay_ with you. You're near the point of tears, so I can tell that this is something you want too," Zia informed, her chuckle dying as Travis reddened at her words. "After all this time, you couldn't have believed I would leave. We've been on the wrong foot, but these last few weeks have been the best of my life. I've been… appreciating your company."

An arm shielded Travis's face on Zia's last word, but the widest grin that the girls have seen was evident under that hood.

"You're way too cheesy to be Zia."

Zia rolled her eyes at his comment, ignoring the warmth scattered across her cheeks.

"I'm aware... but not done. I'm an idiot. I've gotten into situations where my ass got handed to me, and you've pulled me out on your shoulders every time. I'm not witty enough to keep myself from making trouble, and I guess I want your help with that... But you're human. If that bitch absol were any more competent, we'd be dead. It hurts my pride when you always have helped me, but I can never turn that tide myself."

Travis's smile disappeared as a massive breath hissed through Zia's nose.

"Anyway, you find yourself in those spots through your kindness, and I won't let anyone take advantage of it anymore. You need protection as much as I need… everything. The past few days, I've just been thinking about the night where we've made up. It led me to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I want to be dependable, to myself and for the ones I care for."

Everest beamed with delight when Travis removed his hand. He leaned over slightly to better meet Zia's face. "Thanks, Zia… That means a bunch," he said before his hand drifted toward his eyes again, emanating a giggle.

"Hey!" barked Zia, poking Travis's shoulder. "Don't sob around me. Now." The poochyena hopped away from Travis with a smirk, the boy's gaze following closely. "I want you to catch me in your pokéball, and a _real_ one this time will seal the deal.

"Z-Zia?" Travis stuttered, "Are you sure you want me to _catch_ you? That's a big commitment." He placed his arms on the ground to pick himself up, his legs trembling like strings.

"You heard me. I know you have a ball somewhere in here. I don't want to tear through your room to find it myself." Zia winked.

Despite his awkward steps, Travis kept his smile as he reached for his clothing dresser. He quickly bent down to open the bottom drawer, the pain in his back spiking before he pulled out a ball that any trainer recognized.

 _It doesn't look out of the ordinary._ Travis examined the standard red and white ball that managed to keep its luster after being locked in that spotty drawer for so long. _It's going to someone special, I suppose…_

Travis finally turned toward Zia, who sat on her haunches with an expecting gaze.

Holding his sore back, Travis tossed the ball at the pooch. It didn't travel well, falling a few inches short of reaching Zia. The dog leaned forward and caught the ball in her maw before it hit the ground. Zia's teeth contacting the ball sent the poochyena inside of it after a brilliant beam encased her.

Everest walked toward the sphere and carried it within her jaws upon hearing its 'ding', soon placing it within a kneeling Travis's hands. A grin snuck on his face as he gripped the ball within his digits one by one.

Travis finally had his first pokémon, his first trusted companion after eighteen years of solitude. The fact that Zia decided on her own made Travis happier than she could ever understand.

He immediately released Zia from her new globe after having his realization, noticing the toothy mutt quiver from her toes to her back, her fur now standing on end. She looked toward Travis and smiled.

"Heh, thanks… I appreciate that, but I'm still the boss," she spat, turning away from her trainer, head held high. Everest sneered at the facade before Travis yanked Zia into a hug, ignoring his back.

With a wink, Zia kept her smile at the human holding her from before.

"Shut up, Zee. I'll make sure that this is the best decision you've ever made!"

**. . . . .**

Even a month later, that memory darted through Zia's mind as she stared through the window in Travis's empty room. Dust now clung to her black fur as her chin laid against the sill.

_It's been two months with the same things on my mind. That shouldn't be okay._

Travis was now back to his usual shenanigans the moment the wraps around his torso came off. Zia and Everest saw the boy move in and out of the house, but it was hard for them not to appreciate seeing him back to the guy they've met.

When Travis _was_ home, Zia was the first to help him with chores despite never traveling far from the house. She was overprotective anywhere else, and she knew that this kept their relationship from growing. Not to mention that being stuck at home was a damn bore, even going against her promise to protect her trainer. Something needed to change.

_For considering me his best friend, we don't do much out of here to show it... because of my insecurities. I should at least try one time to face this fear for Travis and myself._

The sound of approaching steps reaching the poochyena's ears, prompting her to smile. Her hearing became much better after having all this time to relax.

"Morning, Zia!" sung Everest, bouncing into the quiet room. "What are you doing?"

The eevee joined her sister at the sill, placing her paws on it and looking out the window. It was a quiet day in the neighborhood.

"I suppose I'm relaxing," Zia answered, the tone of guilt within her voice flying over her sister's head. Zia's head somehow pushed more into the sill, the dust crawling up to her nose. She quickly flicked it off to save herself a sneeze.

 _Heh, I love Everest, but I won't let her intervene when I speak to Travis. I can't take her embarrassing me again._ The poochyena covered her reddening muzzle with a paw.

"Mhmm, whatever you say. Your _bestie_ left breakfast. Better get it before I do," the eevee teased before trotting out of the room, leaving Zia behind to huff.

"Sassy as usual," mumbled Zia, her hypocrisy making her chuckle. She couldn't stay waxy.

Even dealing with her sister's usual banter, seeing Everest in a better mood delighted Zia. The twins got along smoothly these days, without a single argument being heard since that fur-raising night two months back.

After removing herself from the sill, the poochyena shook her fur in a turbine of black fluff before thinking, _I'm still not bringing you._

**. . . . .**

It was another five hours before Travis returned that evening, finally bringing the trio together again—their current adventure involving huddling on Travis's bed.

While Everest preoccupied herself with adult sitcoms on the television, Travis read a book titled " _The Viridians"_ , a novel that seemed to irritate him with each page easily.

Zia looked to be asleep next to the others, yet her body remained stiff like a corpse, no sign of breathing to be found. What was prominent was the frown curving her lips.

_Not the way I envisioned my evening._

While Travis was indeed there to chat, another issue bit Zia's heels. Opening an eye, the pooch locked onto Everest, who giggled at the TV's random events.

Zia thought, _Damn. I should have asked when Travis came back, at least Everest was asleep then._ The poochyena grumbled as she shifted her legs. _I can't take another day in this house, though, holy shit._

"Uuuugggghhh _hhh_ …" An exaggerated groan shot Zia before sluggishly raising her head as if chained itself to the bed. Travis whipped his head toward her.

"Uh… You alright, Zee? This sleeping in stuff probably isn't for you," chuckled Travis.

"I'm fine. I need to tell you something," Zia answered softly, fighting the groan rising in her throat as she noticed Everest's bewildered expression from behind.

_She'd only ask more questions if I took him in private, damn. I better not get her more interested._

"What's up?" Travis asked before sticking a folded paper within his book and closing it. As he tossed his current read to the side, Zia bit her tongue.

"Can… the two of us hang out, as in... out of the house? It's lame as hell, and I'd… like getting closer with you, I guess. I want to try being around other humans as well," she admitted, immediately averting her gaze.

"Why do you wanna be with him alone?" asked Everest with a smirk that earned a growl from Zia. They narrowed their gazes. "You two have a secret that you're not telling me, I bet."

Travis held his gut with a snicker as Zia's fur noticeably raised with the bearing of her teeth, adding to Everest and Travis's giggling fit.

"No!" spat Zia.

"Hah. I think I understand without the jokes. You're fine, Zia." Travis's chuckles faded as when Zia glared at her paws. "Seriously, I'm down for it. Uh, no hard feelings, right Everest?"

Everest shooed him with a paw. "Do your thing. I'm happy to see you two hanging out. It's easier to take naps with the extra bed space," she reassured before Travis slid off the bed and went to his desk, where he proceeded to scribble in his journal.

Everest whispered to Zia, "Mind if I pull you for a second?"

Zia's brow raised at the vixen, who gestured toward the door before they jumped from the bed in unison. They padded into the hallway.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing exactly… _bad_ , but I just noticed you've been getting over your fears, and-"

"It isn't a fear," the poochyena interjected, pushing her paw against the eevee's snoot.

The silence that filled the void between the two quickly broke away with Zia's snicker, and Everest soon followed. "Now, what were you saying?"

"Whatever, heh… But I want to ask a serious question." Zia felt her muscles stiffen as her smile faded, but she gave the hum to let Everest continue. "Is Zachary still on your mind…?"

The canine's chest spiked when she heard that damnable name. Her skin fell cold despite feeling like she suddenly had a fever. She slowly turned away from Everest, each press of her trembling legs threatening to make her fall over.

"...It gets worse whenever you bring it up. _Yes_ , I've been trying to get over it, but I'd rather forget it all happened. Zachary should be dead to me, but I still tell myself not to freak when I hear his name…" whispered Zia, turning toward her frowning sister. "And I don't want to compare him with Travis. I trust Travis now, and that's how I want to keep it. Besides, that offer to headbutt him is still open if he gets on our bad side," she finished with a sly smirk.

Everest's throat dried. "You remember that? Are you really going to do it if he does?"

"Heh, no, I think Travis is incapable of pissing me off. He'll still do goofy things regardless, so we'll be amused for a while."

"You'll never change," giggled Everest. "You're keeping up the positivity. I like this side of you."

The eevee leaned forward before her nuzzling snout met Zia's paw, who pushed her away while suppressing a chuckle.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

Everest gently nodded to her sister's words and smiled, making careful steps past the poochyena before returning to the room. Zia lingered, her smug expression disappearing with the air as the eevee did.

_She keeps reminding me, no matter her intentions…_

Zia's gaze met her paws.

 _Maybe I_ _ **do**_ _need closure, or I should-_ Zia shook her head before swatting herself. _No. I should get over it. Thinking about it isn't doing me any favors, especially with tomorrow. I need to prepare for that._

With her thoughts behind closed curtains, Zia returned to her room with a mighty exhale. Hopefully, there wouldn't be more awkward questions.

**. . . . .**

"Ugnmmm," murmured Zia, whose eyes kept shut upon awakening from her slumber. Her body pressed firmly within the cushion of the mattress; she opened her crusty morning gaze toward the desk's alarm clock.

 _6:27 AM? Finally…_ Zia mused. No sun was out to greet the morning just yet, but seeing that time was a relief to a canine whose anticipation bit her leg through the night. The pooch has never been thankful for her night terrors, which prepared her for nights like that.

_Where's Travis?_

Her paw slid to where her partner once slept with the knowledge she often laid her head over him. _He's a fucking ninja. No wonder I kept running into him when we met._

A snore from the end of the bed reminded Zia of her company, her sister. Zia inched toward the bed's edge with a quiet crawl, soon padding onto the floor and peeking back to the fox. Her bated breath escaped her chest.

_Surprised that my snoring hadn't gotten her up._

With a silly grin upon her face, Zia noticed light from one room in the house—the kitchen. Travis was making breakfast, according to the savory scents swimming around Zia's nostrils. The list of why Travis made an excellent housewife grew evermore, mostly since he cooked almost every morning.

Zia trotted into the dining room—smug as usual—before hopping into an empty chair.

"Make it snappy because I'm ready to go," Zia commanded, met with Travis's grin before he whipped out the paper plates. "What will we do anyway? I haven't done this before."

"Well, you call Olivine home now, so I thought to give you a tour. Seems simple since it'll be your first outing, right?" Travis brought the last of the bacon to the final plate, the plastic now coated with a layer of sizzling grease. Gross, but scrumptious all the same.

With the total plate count brought to four, Travis carried a plate to a watery-mouthed Zia.

The ravenous Zia scarfed down the toast and eggs first, mangled like garbage disposal between her chompers. The bacon left Zia disappointed in the lack of steak this month, but she wouldn't complain about the chunks of meat between her teeth. While she tried flossing herself with her tongue, Travis barely got into his eggs.

"I know you're big on eating, but I've _never_ seen you eat that fast, geez," Travis chuckled before Zia pointed at her mouth, scattered with bits of her meal.

"These teeth are meant to do that. Now hurry up so we can get out of here already!" Zia barked with a hop as Travis set his plate with an escaping laugh.

"What's stuck in your foot today? You're in such a rush. I should at least tell Everest that food's done, and Mom won't be awake for another hour, so I'll put her plate in the fridge…" the man trailed off.

"You're too damn slow, Travis. Do what else you need. I'll tell Everest myself," the canine huffed before leaving the table, Travis's only reply being a grin before continuing his meal.

Upon reaching their room, Zia slammed her paws against the mattress and shook the bed with as much power as a little pooch could give.

A silent yawn spread Everest's maw wide before opening her darkened, baggy eyes. Her gaze only met the black fur of Zia's chest as she smacked her lips.

"Hi, Zia… What's-"

"Just telling you that Travis and I are leaving, and breakfast is ready. See you later and have a good nap." The poochyena stood on her rear feet before licking Everest's cheek, and she then fled the room all in haste.

Everest stared toward where Zia once was, but her head slowly came back on the mattress as her eyelids drooped.

"All-day nap…" Another yawn broke her sentence. "...here I come…"

**. . . . .**

Olivine City's size alone was enough to send introverts into a heart attack, and Zia was lucky to only tilt on that border. It hadn't been more than ten minutes since the pooch and Travis hit the town, where Zia tried to distract herself with the towering buildings of many sizes.

"I'm surprised," Zia spoke as the two strolled down the sidewalk. "I imagined there'd be more people, but it's quiet, almost boring me in a way…"

Travis nodded before glancing to his feet as they approached one of the edges of town. The familiar wood that created the pier replaced the concrete beneath them. They met with a view of the sea, its atmosphere something that Travis admired with his smile. The sun rising over the water's horizon made it look as if there was a sparkling paradise waiting wherever the water would end.

"Early mornings are like that, in almost any Johto town," Travis finally responded. "Olivine is a sleepy place altogether, so this is normal."

Travis sat at the pier's end, allowing his feet to dangle mere feet above the water before turning back to Zia, patting next to him. "C'mon!"

"'Kay." The poochyena sat next to him before looking over their shoulders, her gaze cautious. Relaxing her muscles, Zia laid with her forepaws over the pier, meeting with Travis's legs.

"I used to fish here with Casey whenever the weekends rolled around, and I can say fishing was one of Casey's strong points. He always caught the best fishes."

Zia frowned, but noticed her partner's mood didn't change. His feet kicked playfully under their wooden platform, and he smiled just the same.

She tried not to think about destroying his family portrait two months ago, but a sense of relief calmed her thumping chest when she remembered his forgiveness.

"This is the only town in Johto where fishing is considered a sport. It's odd, but just look at all of that water out there!" he exclaimed, motioning his hand toward the glistening waters. "When I was younger, the competitive fishing scene saw more than half the town participate. Almost everyone else, my family included, would be at the pier like this to watch. We have boats here for the anglers, and some of their catches can be insane."

"Sounds monotonous," the pooch dryly responded, earning a befuddled expression from Travis as her eyes remained on the water. Her gaze softened. "You, uh… want to fish sometime?"

"You kidding me!? It's a date!" laughed Travis, his eyes lighting up as Zia stared him down with a red face.

"You're funny."

"Oh don't be that way. I'd love to take you, serious answer this time." Travis's hand rested on the poochyena's back, bringing a smile out of her as he leaned into his touch.

"I know, thanks," Zia replied with a chuckle of her own.

"Well, let's head somewhere else." Travis rolled away from the pier's edge before bouncing onto his feet, Zia following his lead without the theatrics.

The duo left the pier together as a gentle, cool breeze washed over town. As the wind wavered Zia's fur and his hair, Travis realized he had nowhere specific to take his friend. Local activity steadily increased as the minutes flew by.

Travis proceeded to show Zia familiar places of his youth, such as the theater and the town gym. The beach was one of the recent sites that Travis introduced to the poochyena, who seemed to enjoy the hot sand pushing between her toes. One day soon, they hopefully could have Everest here for a complete visit and possibly bring Brendan.

During his attempt to figure out another mark to visit, Travis scanned his watch. "Dang. I can't believe we've been at the beach for two hours. It's almost ten-thirty."

Zia shrugged. "Meh, I like the sunlight, but I'm glad I didn't have to get in the water. There's still a long day ahead," she said.

Their walk continued in peace for a while, the two enjoying the silence before Zia's ears twitched. The poochyena stopped and whipped her gaze behind them as if she expected a phantom, but this was a sign Travis noticed the first time Zia met another of his friends.

Travis's gaze followed Zia's, and he paled as an older man approached them. The poochyena looked petrified from the horrid sight.

"Hey! Uh…" the stranger spoke. Wrinkles grew in rolls under his eyes, and his utterly average look said he had nowhere important to be, yet his body was glistening with the sweat he exhibited. "Do you mind giving directions to the…" he paused, pulling his PokéNav from his pocket. "'Oli-Meet building? I just came here, and I swear I am pants with directi-"

A snarl reached everyone's ears before the man finished, his attention now yanked by the pooh at Travis's side.

Travis gritted his teeth as he watched each of Zia's fur prick like a sandslash's quills. She inched closer to the stranger, who instinctively stepped away with hardened feet.

" _You're too close. I advise you back up before I-"_

Travis's hands clasped around Zia's mouth despite the hazard that was her teeth, but her body instantly fell like a sack of coal with the reminder of his presence. With hesitance, she slowly sealed her lips behind the webs of Travis's fingers.

With a grin now forced onto Travis's features, he quickly released a hand to point to the northeast. "Keep going forward, and it should be near the gym! S-Sorry…"

The man was still for a little longer before finally nodding. He carefully circled the two—with Zia keeping a sharp eye on him—before he dashed somewhere into the city. Being left to themselves, Zia looked toward Travis with flattened ears upon noticing his frown.

"I can't believe you _still_ do that after this long… But… I guess you haven't been out enough to get used to trusting strangers."

Zia swatted away Travis's remaining hand and retorted, "Not everyone is worth trusting, as you should know by now."

Travis grinned through her irritated tone. "You look out for us, and I appreciate that more than you know, but _you know_ that mentality is what started our issues back then. You don't have to trust everybody, but don't threaten each person you come across either. Besides, I heard a saying that being too cautious lets your true enemies elude you, something like that," he informed, leaving Zia's glare to focus on the concrete.

"Probably," she huffed, "This isn't easy for me either."

Travis knelt toward the pooch, running his hand through her coat. "I know, I know. Still, I don't want to treat you like a cave dog and offer you food as an incentive. Please don't allow that," he chuckled.

"Anyone can be bribed with a meal considering the food meets their standards," informed Zia, stopping Travis's laughter.

"Uh… Maybe you're right, about some people at least…"

Now Zia was the one laughing. "I suppose I _could_ go for another bite, though." The poochyena sat and eyed her stomach. "The damn thing's been rumbling forever."

"How are you still hungry? Hmm…" Travis stood up before leaning against the nearby rail, pulling out his PokéNav to scroll through a page. "Well, that's fine, I guess. I have some change, and the café shouldn't be far if you're interested.

The poochyena nodded, though it was a tentative agreement from her hesitance. "Heh, good. Let's go."

Travis and Zia headed toward their next destination, but their walk had little to be said after recent events, leaving the poochyena to gaze over the city's borders. Two buildings caught her eye, and they both were places Travis hadn't shown her. She nudged Travis's knees.

"What are those towers?" Zia pointed at the buildings when they stopped. "I'm sure we've passed by one of them a few times near the beach."

Travis looked toward the first tower she pointed to in the west, obscured by most other city buildings and even overgrown trees. "I don't think that even counts as in the city. The Battle Tower is where experienced trainers compete, though they seem to accept all skill levels. They rank trainers based on their pokémon stand."

Zia's signature cocky smirk proved that Travis should've kept his mouth shut.

"It sounds like a good place to burn steam. When will we go?" Zia turned toward Travis, who quickly shook his head.

" _Not_ a good idea right now. I should remind you that I've never been in a battle before. The only thing I've seen you do is Shadow Ball, and I know nothing else about you. My knowledge only goes so far if I don't have the experience. I don't want to be responsible for your beating…"

"Well… What if I taught you what I know about battling? I can tell you about my moves and how they work better than that piece of junk in your pocket," she stated, pride welling in her voice as her chest puffed.

"What you know about battling? As in…? Have you been in an official battle before, Zee?" Travis asked, freezing his companion with a widened gaze.

_Shit._

Travis frowned at the pooch before sliding his fingers into the rough pockets of his jeans, waiting for an answer.

"N-No. I've battled in the wild, though. You knew that. I've won my share of fights despite what you've seen of me."

Travis giggled, "Well, official battles work a lot differently. I'll tell you about it later, and I'll take you to the Battle Tower someday since you're eager." Zia's big grin gave Travis another chuckle. "Heh, anyway."

Travis pointed to the lighthouse that Zia had also referred to.

"That's Glitter Lighthouse, Olivine's pride, you could say. Its reason for being here should be obvious. You do know what lighthouses are for, right?" Travis asked, Zia giving an affirmative hum. "But yeah, it has a nice view from the top floor. I wanted to take you tonight, y'know, if you're okay with it. I didn't want to say anything unless you've asked."

As the dude flustered after his words, Zia smirked with a raised brow. "Sure. I will look forward to it, but for now, where's that café?"

**. . . . .**

Thirty minutes passed since Zia and Travis found the café. While no noteworthy events passed during that time, Zia's more paranoid nature became too noticeable for Travis to ignore. The quick thinker he is, Travis picked a booth in the corner of the restaurant with his partner choosing the window seat.

It was quiet in their little bubble, but that silence weighed heavy.

Zia slouched toward the table that her claws were busy clicking against, her eyes darting toward any living thing that dares step into their space.

Her lips loosened when Travis's held one of her paws, which helped whenever the waiters greeted them. Her eyes often met him as if she wanted to speak, but she opted to keep quiet.

Travis showed a sympathetic smile.

 _This reminds me of when I first brought her home. I hope I didn't make a mistake..._ he thought before biting into another cut of his pork chops.

How slow Zia ate somehow made Travis cringe, and he set his fork down before placing his arms above the table.

_Losing her appetite this much? Something else has to be wrong…_

Zia's eyes were still on Travis while she ate, and her flattened ears finally snapped him out of his trance. Her gaze returned to her plate for a moment, wiping her mouth before looking toward him again.

"We're not getting anywhere, y'know," she admitted, straightening her posture. "Talk instead of staring. You're killing me." Zia frowned as her paws sat above the table, as her trainer did.

Travis tapped his head with a grunt as his eyes scrolled to the ceiling, a quiet 'Ah,' hissing from him.

"...Something's been on my mind for a while…" He hesitated for a few seconds. "But, it's probably not the right time to talk about it. I'll think of something else."

Zia scrunched her brows as Travis reclined into his seat.

"Wait, wait. What do you mean? There isn't a _wrong_ time to talk, so spill it already. I'm sure it's silly," she chuckled, but quickly stopped when Travis didn't follow. He only looked at his plate.

"It's, hmm…" His tone dropped, leaving Zia to purse her lips. The beat of her heart pounded her ears. "It was around the first few days you guys were with me. I asked Everest some questions when you slept, and one of them was why you despise humans."

With dilated eyes and pale skin beneath her fur, Zia asked, "What did you hear?"

Travis found his hands folding against each other. "Only from one side. Everest told me her story, so we don't need to return to that. There's something more personal that you've kept to yourself, though. I'm in no right to ask, so I won't, but I've been curious…"

He looked back to Zia, shrinking from the grimace that twisted her face. A sharp screech echoed as her claws skidded across the table.

Following the pain in his eardrums, Travis almost coughed from his heart dropping to his stomach.

"Zee…" Travis's hand rested on Zia's paws as they shook. Her gaze was weary, but she looked at him and ceased her shivering the moment she felt his touch. "It'd be best to get out of here if we're already done, yeah?" he asked as he looked toward their plates.

The poochyena nodded.

"Probably best if we do. Uh…" Zia grinned sheepishly as her head sunk into her shoulders. "Are we still going to the lighthouse later? I need that trip more than ever now."

She looked at Travis's hands.

"Yeah!" barked Travis, who shook her paws with a grin of his own. "I'm still excited about it. Trust me. I'll make sure it's memorable, just for you."

Zia nodded again, but her eyes didn't leave Travis's hands. The silence brought Travis back from his moment, and with a reddened face, he finally noticed where Zia's attention was.

He quickly but gently placed her paws back down. "S-Sorry about that…"

The canine blinked at her trainer before grunting. She bounded over the table and onto the floor with grace. "You're fine, you doof. Let's get out already," Zia commanded before heading out of the door, her steps quick and head held low. Travis frowned at the display but promptly followed her.

**. . . . .**

The duo returned home later that afternoon. Zia was now nested on the bed, her belly exposed as her eyes followed the blades of the ceiling fan, something that oddly satisfied her.

As usual, Everest was nearby with her attention solely focused on the television while Travis was busy grocery shopping.

Zia's snoot wrinkled, but it wasn't from a stench the fan carried in.

_Zachary won't stop tormenting me… It's been a year since we went separate ways, but I still can't let it go._

A tear snuck from the poochyena's closed eyes, tickling her irritated looking face. She patted her paw against her muzzle, looking at her chest with a mental sigh.

_The nightmares don't appear as often, but they're there. Travis noticed, and with how I behaved, I keep giving him the signs. I don't want to keep it a secret forever, but why do I hold onto things ruining my life?_

She shuffled without a sound, the mattress worming beneath her before she peeked toward the TV addict. The eevee was perfectly okay, unhindered from the past.

_I suppose everything eventually led us here, and Everest is happy. It's because of Travis; he's done too much for us. Why should I keep the reasoning behind my attitude a secret from him?_

Rolling onto her stomach, the poochyena narrowed her eyes.

 _I_ _ **need**_ _closure. One day, I'll return to Mahogany Town, and no matter what I find, I will get this out of my head. I'll tell Travis tonight._

Without the lamp, the room became a tinted orange shade as the setting sun snuck in from the window. Zia simpered.

_They'll understand..._

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! So that's the end of that! I have no clue how I did according to you guys, and whether or not this story was what you guys were expecting. If you want to criticize me, then go ahead! I want to learn more so I can be a better writer! If you like my story, then do tell! I like to be told that I'm doing a decent job. Whatever the case might be, constructive criticism is welcome!
> 
> As I said before, this story is indeed posted on other sites, but keep in mind that this is a rewriting! If you're interested in the story, I recommend you stick around and read the higher quality versions of what I have to post here. I will warn now that my uploading schedule is not the best, as I have responsibilities that will take away from my writing in the future. I can't help that, but I will use whatever time I can get to keep writing so uploads won't take a century.
> 
> You guys take it easy. Hope to see ya around next time!


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